The same way that your golf shoes give you a good grip on the ground, adding stability and consistency to your swing, your golf glove helps you keep a steady grip on the club. According to Dawn Mercer, director of instruction at Innisbrook Golf Resort, in Palm Harbor, Florida, “If your hands perspire, the purpose of the glove is to avoid the club slipping out of your hand. If your hands are dirty, it keeps the grip clean.”
Most golfers typically wear a glove on the lead hand — the hand that’s higher on the club — Mercer says. So if you’re a righty, buy a club for your left hand, and if you’re a lefty, buy one for your right. If you’re a beginner, you might want to wear gloves on both hands, “to avoid blisters,” Mercer says, but once you learn proper swing mechanics, you can go down to just one. As for size, Dan Schwabe, PGA Class A golf professional and golf instructor at Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco, says, “You want them to fit pretty tight and close, like a second skin, because you don’t want them to get gummy and loose.”
To help you find the best golf glove to improve your game, whether you’re a scratch golfer or someone who often finds themselves hitting from the wrong fairway, we spoke to Mercer and seven other golf professionals from clubs around the country. Here are their suggestions for the best golf gloves for every level of golfer, whether it’s for you, or to give as a gift.
The best golf glove for beginners
Brian Golden, PGA director of golf at Sandy Burr Country Club in Wayland, Massachusetts, says a common problem with beginners is that they “grip the club too hard, which causes blisters on their thumb.” According to Schwabe, beginners also often tend to “hold the club too much in their lead palm and too far to the end of the club, so it acts like a little knife high up in the heel of the hand.” The WeatherSof helps protect against that by being “a little thicker overall, and there is a thicker pad in the palm,” he says. Plus, synthetic gloves like this one last longer. Rich McDonough, director of golf instruction at Marine Park Golf Course in Brooklyn, also recommends this glove, calling it “reasonably priced” and noting that it’s the best seller at his shop.
The best golf gloves for intermediate golfers
Cameron Haller, golf professional at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, wears the FootJoy StaSof glove, which he says “is the most popular” glove at his club. Comfort is his “No. 1 priority,” and this glove provides it, along with a good grip and moisture control.
Mercer recommends the Titleist Perma-Soft glove for both beginner and intermediate players, calling it a professional-grade-quality leather glove at an affordable price. “Is it necessary to have the most expensive glove in the world? No. In most cases it’s going to be dirty or ripped before it wears out anyway,” she says. Both Golden and McDonough like this glove for its comfortable feel. “It’s unique. If someone put a whole pile of gloves in front of me and I had to pick one, I’d pick the Titleist,” McDonough says.
The best golf gloves for pros (and advanced golfers)
Four of our experts either wear or recommend this glove. Both Golden and James Draper III, general manager and head golf professional at Forest Park Country Club in Martinsville, Virginia, consider it an excellent option. And according to Aaron Flink, EVP and chief strategy officer at Pebble Beach Resort in Pebble Beach, California, “Taylormade is best in class at what they do. Every one of our members of the golf staff utilize Taylormade products, and I do as well.” Of the company’s options, “the glove that I love and I won’t play without these days is their Tour Preferred,” he says, noting that “the quality of leather is very thin, so it almost feels like you aren’t wearing it.” While thinner gloves are usually less durable gloves, he says that’s not the case with this one. “That thinness helps me stay connected to the club. And I find that I actually get longer use out of it.” This is also the favorite glove of Deven DeLuca, head golf professional at Presidio. “I like the way it fits. It’s thin and it’s flexible in the right places,” he says.
Draper often plays with this glove, which is made from soft and comfortable cabretta leather, and so does Mercer. She calls it “the best of the best” and reminds you to make sure you have a snug fit because the leather will stretch with use.
Although Golden doesn’t usually wear a glove, when he does, it’s this one, made of premium leather that is thin and soft for ultimate comfort. Draper also considers this glove to be one of the best.
The most fashionable golf gloves
If you want to be fashion-forward, Mercer recommends the FootJoy Spectrum gloves, which come in 12 different colors.
The best golf gloves for people with long nails or wedding rings
Mercer also notes that some gloves, like this, have specific design modifications for long nails and wedding rings.
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