The best golf gloves
Kyle Schurman
- A golf glove does more than just prevent blisters — it also gives you a high level of comfort, durability, and longevity.
- Though some golfers still choose to not wear gloves, many turn to them for the impact they're able to have on their game, especially if they play often.
- Our top pick, the Bionic StableGrip, offers a snug, comfortable fit, comes in a variety of sizes, and features pre-curled fingers to reduce the amount of break-in time it needs.
Although it may be hard to believe, there was a time in golf where woods actually were made of wood, golf balls consisted of leather and feathers, and the on-course beer cart was not a thing. Thankfully, modern golfers can play with much better equipment and enjoy their favorite beverage at any time while playing.
At one time, golfers also played without a glove. No moisture-wicking technology, no reinforced palm, and no Velcro closure. Although the first golf gloves were available for sale around 1900, according to Golfweek, professionals didn't use them until the 1930s. By the 1960s, nearly all players, amateurs and pros, used gloves.
Why wear golf gloves?Although you'll find the occasional golfer who doesn't wear a glove, it's mostly rare. Modern club grips certainly make it easier to hold the club tightly without wearing a glove but even when using modern grips, you'll still end up with worn hands or blisters. Here's why a golf glove matters:
- Improved grip: Older clubs had grips (or the handles on the golf clubs) that could become slick, so the early golf gloves improved the player's ability to hold the club tightly. An improved grip keeps the clubhead from twisting, allowing for better shot-making. Even with today's tacky style grips, a glove gives you a surer grip on the club. If the grips on your clubs become worn, a glove ensures the club doesn't slip out of your hands.
- Avoiding blisters: Without a glove, you could end up with blisters on your hand. Because you're using the same motion with force when swinging a golf club several dozens of times per round, this repeated motion can lead to blisters.
- Warm and dry hands: Many modern golf gloves will wick moisture away from your hand, which can be beneficial in hot, humid weather. Or if you're playing in cool weather, some golf gloves are designed to keep your hands warmer. In cold weather, you may wear golf gloves on both hands, rather than just one as is normal.
When shopping for a golf glove will fits your game, there are a few key aspects to pay attention to:
- Size matters: You will want a golf glove that fits your hand properly. If it's too small, you're likely to tear it after a few uses. If it's too big, it will have wrinkles, rather than fitting tightly, and you'll potentially end up with blisters. Gloves are commonly available in small, medium, large, and extra-large sizes and a medium/large in-between size is even available with many gloves.
- Pick the correct hand: Golfers typically only wear a glove on one hand, which is the hand that controls the power of the swing from the top of the club. So, a right-handed player would wear a glove on their left hand, and vice versa. There's certainly no reason you can't wear two gloves, but most golfers like having a bare hand as the lower hand on the club, as it helps to control the feel of the club.
- Materials: Most golf gloves will consist of synthetic materials, leather, mesh fabric, or some combination of all three. A more expensive glove will have more leather, while cheaper gloves tend to have more synthetic materials, but this isn't as common as it was several years ago.
- Closure: You'll tighten a golf glove around your wrist using a Velcro flap (or a flap with some generic form of Velcro). This makes it easier for golfers to wear the glove as tight or as loose on their wrists as they want. Older gloves may have a snap that tightens the glove, but a snap has less flexibility than the Velcro flap.
- Moisture-wicking: To help you avoid a sweaty hand under the golf glove, look for a glove that has tiny pinholes in the fabric to allow airflow, keeping your hand dry. Some gloves use mesh fabric inserts to promote airflow. And some gloves use a moisture-wicking fabric on the interior to draw moisture away from the skin.
Today, golf gloves are as common as any other key piece of golf equipment. Wearing a glove on one hand helps you keep a sturdy grip on all aspects of your game. To help, we've field-testing to find the best golf gloves currently available.
Here are the best golf gloves:- Best golf glove overall: Bionic StableGrip golf glove
- Best golf glove for sweaty hands: FootJoyWeatherSof glove
- Best natural fit glove: Grip Boost Golf Second Skin 2.0 glove
- Best colorful glove: Callaway Golf OptiColor glove
Updated on 8/17/2020 by Rick Stella: Updated the sections on why to wear golf gloves and how to shop for them, checked the availability of each recommended glove, and updated the prices and links where necessary.
The best golf glove overall
If you hate the way your golf glove crumples up after every use, making it uncomfortable for several holes until it stretches out again, the Bionic StableGrip golf glove will solve that problem. It has excellent bounce-back, so it feels like new after every swing.
Additionally, Bionic has come up with the best golf glove for both durability and comfort. The fingers are pre-curled, ensuring an easier fit. The glove wicks away moisture on your hands with a terry cloth interior. The StableGrip glove feels incredibly natural and flexes to match your hand movement.
The StableGrip golf glove line is available in multiple sizes, and it's made in either a right- or left-hand fit.
That's a lot of positives in a single golf glove. Even if the Bionic StableGrip doesn't cut a few strokes off your game, you'll at least be comfortable during those (hopefully) occasional double-bogies.
Pros: Excellent quality in a golf glove, gives you a natural fit and feel, glove bounces back nicely from round to round unlike many other gloves, long-lasting glove, offered in any size or hand fit you could need
Cons: More expensive than other golf gloves, may tear in the area around the closure flap
The best golf glove for sweaty hands
The FootJoy WeatherSof golf glove has been available for purchase for almost three decades and remains one of the most popular gloves available. And there's a good reason why: It's incredibly comfortable to wear all day in all kinds of weather conditions, thanks to a breathable design.
This comfortable glove uses a mixture of Cabretta leather and synthetic materials to give it a high level of durability. The WeatherSof glove even has a mesh fabric hidden in the black stripes on the back of the glove for further breathability.
It's also surprisingly affordable. You will find the WeatherSof in multiple sizes, and you can choose to wear it on the left or right hand.
The exact placement of the leather and synthetic fabrics in this glove'es design help to make the WeatherSof comfortable and breathable, and it can handle both cold and hot conditions equally well.
Pros: Strong price point, consists of a large amount of breathable fabric to keep your hand cool, available in multiple sizes, very popular model of golf glove, good level of durability
Cons: Sizes tend to run a little small, mesh backing may tear out over time
The best natural fit golf glove
Innovation in a golf glove isn't easy to find, but the Grip Boost Golf Second Skin 2.0 golf glove has created an intriguing design that'll feel more comfortable than many other golf gloves.
The back of the glove features a webbing pattern that allows the glove to fit tightly, yet comfortably. The webbing stretches to make the glove more comfortable to wear, molding it to your hand.
The Golf Second Skin 2.0 golf glove has mesh windows and dimpled leather throughout the construction, allowing this glove to pull moisture away from your hand for more comfort. You can pick from multiple sizes, as well as a left- or right-handed fit. It's also quite affordable.
Even during humid weather, it's easy to take these gloves on and off, which gives them a big advantage over other gloves that sometimes stick to the hand when they become wet.
When you're looking for a golf glove that fits the hand perfectly, the Grip Boost glove works well, as it won't bunch up strangely on your hand or wear unevenly in the palm area.
Pros: Very comfortable fit and feel, nice price point for a golf glove, offered in numerous sizes so you can find the right fit, includes a mesh fabric to keep your hands dry and cool in all weather
Cons: Fabrics may tear when placed under stress, it's a new glove design so longevity is unknown
The best colorful golf glove
Golf gloves haven't exactly been bastions of design creativity or personalization. Mostly, your choices are white and black. The Callaway Golf OptiColor golf glove comes in colors like red, blue, and green to add some spice to your golf gear.
The OptiColor golf gloves also have excellent longevity. These gloves have a high-quality leather design that ensures they won't give out easily under stress. However, to maintain these gloves in top condition, you will have to clean the leather regularly.
The designers paid extra attention to the closure system on these gloves, too. The Optifeel closure system on the Callaway golf gloves gives them a snug feel while also contributing to its longevity. The Golf Info Guide says that this design choice is genius because golf gloves often give out in the area around the closure flap, where they're under a lot of stress.
The Cabretta leather in the design ensures these gloves will remain soft and flexible throughout numerous uses. You'll receive a great fit as long as you measure your hand size properly, too.
Pros: Multiple color options in these golf gloves differ from other models, durable all-leather construction, great price point for some colors, extra build quality in the high-stress areas
Cons: Some colors in the gloves may stain your hands when the gloves become wet, all-leather construction requires extra care
The best affordable golf glove
If you think the only option for a high-quality golf glove means spending a lot, the MG Golf DynaGrip — and the professional golfers who use it — will make you think again.
The DynaGrip is a low priced golf glove, giving you a great value with an all-Cabretta leather design. Golf Accessories Reviews says the DynaGrip glove from MG Golf has been one of the most popular brands in recent years, in part because PGA Tour tournament winners have been seen wearing this low-priced glove.
You'll appreciate the ability of the DynaGrip golf glove to resist moisture and sweat, which ensures you'll maintain a better grip on the club in all kinds of weather conditions. MG Golf has multiple sizes of the DynaGrip glove available, as well as either a left- or right-handed fit.
Pros: Low price point, all-Cabretta leather design, despite a low price, winners of PGA Tour events have used this glove
Cons: Probably won't last as long as some other golf gloves, fingers in the glove seem a bit too long
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