Wearing a golf glove can help players of any level to have an easier time gripping the golf club.
The hand that you wear your golf glove on will depend on whether you are a left-handed or a right-handed player.
However, when you go to choose a golf glove to wear, it can be a little confusing as to which one you need to get for your game.
In addition, a golfer should also pay attention to the type of golf glove they buy and whether or not it is the style and material that will help them perform the best.
Let’s take a look at which hand to wear a golf glove on and why.
Which Hand To Wear Golf Glove
If you are a right-handed golfer, you will need to wear your golf glove on the left hand.
If you are a left-handed golfer, you will need to wear a golf glove on your right hand.
This can be a bit confusing for the player because, when you purchase a golf glove for a righty it will often say “left hand” on the glove packaging.
This is to let you know that your golf glove is to be worn on the left hand, yet it still makes things a bit confusing for people.
Overall, you will need to ensure that you are wearing the glove on the proper hand in order to get the most benefit from it.
For instance, if a left-handed golfer puts a golf glove on their left hand, it may give the left hand too much control and power in the swing.
This often causes missed hits and poor shots.
The idea is that, in order to make sure you get the most benefit from a golf glove, you will have to wear it on the proper hand.
Once you have the glove in place, you can then work to ensure that it stays in place and becomes a great overall option for your game.
Let’s take a look at the things to consider before you purchase a golf glove.
What To Consider Before Buying A Golf Glove
When you are looking to purchase a golf glove, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.
Aside from the hand that the glove is going to fit on, you will also want to think about the material, the fit, and even whether or not it makes sense to wear a glove at all.
1. Hand (Left, Right, Or Both)
As we have mentioned, if you are a left-handed golfer, you need a glove for your right hand, while right-handed players need one for their left hand.
The hand that you put your golf glove on will give you the proper control and balance in your golf swing.
Essentially, if you don’t have the glove on the proper hand, it can give one hand or the other too much of a role in the golf swing.
Some golfers will wear a glove on both hands, but this is quite rare.
A few players do find that the only way they can effectively grip the club is to have a glove on both hands.
However, if you see a golfer with two gloves on, it typically has to do with the fact that it is cold or it is raining.
When the weather conditions get more difficult, it makes a lot of sense to compensate for this by wearing two golf gloves.
Rubber grips and rainstorms do not mix.
Therefore, having golf gloves that will help you secure your club is a very important concept.
When golf gloves are meant to be worn on both hands, they are typically sold together as a pair.
There is one professional golfer who always wears two golf gloves, and he simply states that he grew up learning to play that way and never broke the habit.
For now, we would recommend sticking with just one glove.
2. Glove Material
The material of the glove is usually leather or a synthetic material.
The leather is the premium material that the better players tend to enjoy.
With the premium leather material, golfers often get a much better feel and performance, making them want to get something made with that material again.
However, the problem with the leather is that it won’t hold up over time.
The leather gloves can sometimes only last a few rounds for a serious golfer, and this ends up being much too expensive to keep in play long term.
This is why the synthetic type of golf gloves came into play.
The synthetic material is used to help golfers who tend to go through golf gloves quickly and need to replace them because of the fact that they fall apart.
If your golf gloves start to fall apart, chances are you are a little rough on them, and the thicker and more durable gloves are going to be a much better choice.
Glove material is a major consideration for a golf glove, and you should be careful about this decision to ensure that you get an excellent value in your gloves.
3. Two Gloves/No Gloves?
Should you purchase two golf gloves?
Is it worth wearing a golf glove at all?
Chances are you are going to want to purchase one golf glove to help you stay in more control of the club.
However, if you happen to find that a glove is not helpful for you, that is entirely acceptable.
Some players are careful to get their clubs regripped quite frequently so that their gloves always stay tacky and easy to attach to.
If this describes the way that you like to play the game, don’t worry about getting two gloves, you will be fine to just grip the club naturally.
Two gloves are only for people who are playing in a rainstorm or in colder temperatures.
In addition, the golfers who are new to the game and worried about blisters on their hands may decide that two golf gloves are a good idea for a while.
Typically, this will wear off after some time, and players will find that one glove is more than enough.
However, to avoid blisters in the early days of learning golf, you can do whatever you need to do.
4. Glove Sizing
Gloves will come in a variety of sizes in addition to being available for both hands.
The gloves typically come in sizes small to extra-extra-large (S–XXL) for men, and then small to large (S–L) in the women’s sizes of gloves.
However, there is another component that golfers need to think about, and that is the length of the fingers.
If you have shorter fingers, you will want to ensure that you can keep your glove from bunching up at the end.
This is where the cadet-sized gloves come into play.
The cadet is an additional fitting parameter that is used in golf glove technology.
With a cadet glove, you can feel as though your palm will fit, but your fingers will also continue all the way to the tip of the golf glove.
Cadet sizing should be available in both men’s and women’s sizes.
Junior golfers are also going to need a golf glove at times, and these come in different sizes than men’s and women’s.
The youth gloves are typically for golfers that are around five to 12 years old.
These gloves come in smaller sizes, and they won’t have as many options when it comes to the fit or the material, but they will do an excellent job of keeping a kid’s hand from hurting.
The glove sizing for kids will be important as they will need to still be able to get a good grip on the club without the material getting in the way.
5. Longevity
Some golf gloves are priced very cheaply, and others are considered to be a premium material.
If you are a player who wears a golf glove every time you head out to play, you may want to consider getting the higher priced more premium golf glove.
The reason behind this is that the overall price of the golf glove typically means that the glove will be more or less durable.
The cheap gloves may get a hole in them or become slippery after just one or two rounds of golf.
For the golfer who only wears a glove sparingly, this is not a problem, but if you play every round with one on, try to consider the longevity of the glove when you purchase it.
After all, the longer the glove can last, the better the value that you will have paid for it.
What Are The Downsides Of Wearing A Golf Glove?
Now that you understand what it is to wear a golf glove let’s try to look at the downsides to wearing a glove.
Most people will not find that the glove causes much trouble in their game, but some have trouble adjusting to the overall feel.
1. Feel Won’t Be As Good
Sometimes the feel is restricted because it is going to eliminate some of the natural connection that you have with the golf club.
This is typically not going to bother golfers, but some players insist that it impacts the feel they have with the golf club.
Have you ever noticed that players take their gloves off before they putt and sometimes before they chip?
This is done because this part of the game requires the most feel and precision.
The other shots in the game need speed more than anything.
Ensuring that your feel is going to be good throughout the entire game is essential, and if your glove is restricting this, it may be best to take it off.
Some players who struggle with this will choose the very thin golf gloves, and that does seem to help improve feel.
2. Another Expense
Golfers are going to spend quite a bit of money on the cost of gear throughout the year.
When you have to add in other expenses like golf gloves that fall apart after a few rounds, the overall cost can get a bit too expensive and frustrating.
To avoid this, you can simply learn to play golf without a glove on.
For some players, this is a great solution, and it helps them save money.
Others will have a hard time ever getting the connection that they need with the golf club.
In the end, it ends up costing them a few strokes out on the golf course.
Golf gloves are just another expense, even though some of us find them to be very useful.
3. Can Cause Some To Grip Harder
Although golf grips are supposed to let your hands work and allow you to have a lighter grip on the club, some players struggle with this concept and end up gripping the club too tightly.
If you want to relax when you grip the golf club, you have to think about this mentally.
Don’t grip the golf club too tightly, and you may be just fine without the glove on.
This is something that you will have to experiment with as a player and see which will be the best fit for your game.
Should I Wear A Golf Glove?
There are certain players who know they must wear golf gloves.
For instance, if you have ever had the club slip from your hands or you know that you have sweaty hands when you play, a golf glove makes sense.
Some golfers who have arthritis sometimes do well with wearing a golf glove as well.
The golf glove tends to make it so that players do not need to grip the club so tightly, and they can have a loose grip around the club.
The concept makes it easier to manage hand pain when a person with arthritis is playing the game.
There are also players who are new to the game, and their hands are not all that strong yet.
Blisters will develop on hands that are not that strong.
To avoid this, wearing a golf glove makes sense.
The longer you can keep your golf glove on when you are new to the game, the easier it will be to protect your hands.
Once you have an excellent grip, your hands should not hurt nearly as badly.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now have a better idea as to which hand to wear your golf glove on.
The concept of a golf glove is a good one, and it can help you to succeed as a player.
The more you can learn how to use a golf glove the proper way, the better your overall results will be.
A golf glove is well worth the price if you feel as though it gives you confidence in your abilities as a player.
In the end, a golf glove won’t fix your grip or make you a better player, but it can come in handy during certain weather conditions, and it will help give you more confidence in your game.
Try a few rounds out with a golf glove on your hand and see how it works out in the end.
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