It can't be attributed simply to the Celtic Tiger. The massive increase in betting on golf pre-dates the financial boom in Ireland. It is unquestionably a factor, though, as more disposable income has broadened the base of golfing punters.

But the essential ingredient that has guaranteed the increase in betting on golf is television coverage.

Bookmakers could be forgiven if they were to harbour small shrines to Sky television. The satellite network has provided the public with easy access to golf. On any given week during the golf season, Sky broadcasts a European Tour event and a tournament from the US tour.

They also offer good coverage of women's golf and the Challenge Tour in Europe, along with a weekly magazine show.

Access to live golf has revolutionised betting in the sport. In the past, only the diehard aficionado would have considered a wager on an event that he might follow only in the papers.

The satisfaction for most in following their money is being able to witness events unfolding. Otherwise it is emotionally bloodless, or the prerogative of the serious or inveterate gambler. Where once upon a time a bookmaker might only take money on the Irish Open, the British Open, the US Masters, and possibly one other major, they now offer a bewildering array of bets on every tournament in Europe and America.

The Majors represent the cream on a burgeoning segment of the industry. Paul Ryan, of Paddy Power Bookmakers, explains: "Racing is the core product. Soccer is very popular, as demonstrated by the fact that the recent European Championships proved the most lucrative tournament yet. The Premiership is hugely popular.

"But the biggest and quickest growing market is golf betting. In general terms, it constitutes five to six per cent of our business annually, rising to 13 of 14 per cent around the time of the Majors, the Irish Open and the European Open. Golf betting accounts for a staggering 25 per cent of betting on our Internet site."

Paddy Power took in over £160,000 on the recent British Open, while Ladbrokes (Ireland) took over £1 million on the same event. Ladbrokes' Donal McCarthy confirmed the rise of punting on golf.

"Golf betting now represents 15 per cent of the total turnover in Irish offices where once it was three or four per cent.

"At one stage we would offer outright betting on a tournament up to a Thursday and that would have been it. We would have taken no more money during the event. Now we update the lists constantly, particularly at the bigger events where we would have someone at the course monitoring the scoring. Prices are available all the time on these occasions."

Victor Chandler Bookmakers are the official bookmakers to the European Tour, and have an outlet at every tournament, in addition to shops, credit card and Internet facilities. The latter two are open to Irish customers. Their golfing expert is Don Stewart.

"About 95 per cent of our golf business comes from the UK and Ireland (the Irish share is 25 per cent), with about five per cent from Europe and they are mostly Swedes," he says. "The mobile unit on site is popular with the American players and caddies. The turnover in the office on golf annually would be about £12 to £15 million, split 60/40 in favour of betting on the US Tour.

"The problem with Europe is that the bigger events don't start until later in the golfing season and it doesn't really get busy until the Benson & Hedges."

There has also been a notable shift in the type of betting. Where once outright betting - wagering on the winner of the tournament or, in the case of an each way punt, the first four or five - was favoured, other derivatives are increasingly popular. Match betting, whereby players are grouped in threes and odds are offered on the individual that will prevail over a given 18 holes or over the four rounds, is a growing variant.

One can now have a wager on just about everything; the top Scot/Irish/Scandi navian/European player, whether any competitor will manage a hole-in-one, or the number of birdies, bogeys or double bogeys there will be over the course of a tournament.

The most popular form of the latter is spread betting. There is only one company in Ireland, Sports Spread, which offer this form of betting, and they advertise on Aertel (page 631). This format offers the punter an opportunity to pit his knowledge of the sport against that of the sports spread firm.

For example, the firm of Joe Bloggs believes that the number of birdies at the British Open over the four rounds will be somewhere between 105 and 115. Mr Smith believes that there won't be that many and therefore elects to "sell at 105". His stake is £5, so for every birdie less than 105, Smith wins £5, but for every birdie more than 115 he loses £5.

If the number of birdies fell between the spread of 105-115, Mr Smith would simply lose his stake of £5. If he felt that there would be in excess of 115 birdies he would buy and the same rules would apply.

This market is extremely volatile, whereby people can win and lose huge sums of money. In this respect, a firm may occasionally put a cap - say in this case 10 birdies - either side of the spread.

The "average punter" is willing to spend between £10-£30 on the bigger tournaments, according to the bookmakers. Those with larger sums to wager generally wait until the cut has been made, and even then they favour match betting.

The recent British Open was an expensive exercise for the bookmakers, with the financial carnage varying from firm to firm. Victor Chandler took a £100,000 bet from an Irishman on Tiger Woods to win at 9 to 4. Ryan conceded that Paddy Powers "took a hiding" because they offered Woods at the best price in town (11 to 4).

McCarthy admitted that had Padraig Harrington won (80 to 1) they would have suffered. The flip side of the coin though, losing, is obviously more prevalent, and there is many a slip between lip and cup. McCarthy recounted one such example.

"A guy got a couple of horses and Gaelic matches up and had £16,000 going onto Darren Clarke to win the European Open at the K-Club last year. He would have won over £200,000.

"We had written off the bet - Clarke led by a half a dozen shots going into the final round - and weren't even going to bother watching it. A guy in the office mentioned that Clarke had dropped a shot early on and Westwood picked up a couple. Westwood went on to win and that saved us the money. It seemed so unlikely."

McCarthy pointed out that for Ladbrokes, the Ryder Cup would take in double (£2 million) what the next biggest single event, the British Open, would gross (£1 million). He maintains, as do Ryan and Stewart, that the market is fast closing the gap on more established betting rivals and that the increasing numbers taking up the sport, coupled with the blanket television coverage, suggests the upward spiral will continue.