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Golf Gloves are an often overlooked part of your equipment — Here's why it should matter
It has been several decades since the majority of golfers played golf without the benefit of a glove. It was the era of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, with their colourful and sporty golf gloves, that introduced them into mainstream golf. Prior, players like Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson and others played without the benefit of gloves, often hitting practice shots after practice shots until their hands developed calluses in all the right spots.
Why Opt for Golf Gloves?
Most golfers benefit from wearing golf gloves. Modern grips made of sophisticated materials that help you maintain a good hold on the club, but they can play havoc with your hands, leading to unwanted blisters and more. Most golfers wear a golf glove as it helps them maintain a firmer hold on their club. Some even like to wear golf gloves on both hands.
There are a couple of factors behind this, with comfort being the primary reason. Wearing two golf gloves decreases the potential for blisters on the off chance that you handle your club excessively hard or with the incorrect grip. Gloves can also help avoid injuries by enabling you to maintain a steady and consistent grip on your clubs.
Gloves are not required, but they are helpful. Of course, you can play golf with just your bare hands, but everything else considered, a glove is optimal. Today, most golfers, professional and recreational alike, wear a golf glove – primarily on their lead hand (left hand for a “right-handed” golfer and vice versa), or simply put, the hand that holds and swings the club.
Improves Performance & Boosts Confidence
Good fitting gloves keep you from being distracted, allowing you to focus on your short and not your hands. Of course, good quality golf gloves enhance your grip by helping you hold on to the club better. While it is a small piece of your golf game, using good golf gloves that look nice, enhances your appearance, boosting your confidence simply from knowing that you look the part of a golfer. To be sure, its not something that will shave strokes off of your game, but it is a little something to boost your ego even just a little and that’s good because when you play golf, you know that there is much in the game that keeps you humble.
Upgrades Comfort & Reduces Injuries
Creased, firm gloves aren't only hard to put on; they likewise feel awkward while playing. As mentioned, poor gloves can be a distraction. Wearing proper fitting gloves, and your hands will feel a lot more comfortable. Keeping your gloves in good condition improves comfort, and they'll likewise shield your hands from injuries like troublesome blisters, sores and rashes.
What to Look for When Buying Golf Gloves
When you consider buying golf gloves, you want one that is of good quality, fits you well, and permits you to make your best swings without binding or wearing prematurely. Shopping for golf gloves, whether it is online or in a sports or golf store can often be quite a hassling process. You are confronted with so many choices. There are choices about the construction – is it leather, cabretta leather, suede, fleece, artificial leather or mesh. Do you buy the glove with the lowest price or do you look for a glove that represents the best value? Another choice is whether to buy just one glove or to buy two – one for each hand? And the most important factor in choosing a golf glove is the fit.
What is the Right Size for a Golf Glove?
Recent research suggests that more than 60% of all golfers are wearing the wrong size of gloves, and it’s usually too big for them. A golf glove should fit like a layer of skin – there should be no interference or abundance of material between your hand, your grip, and the actual club. The glove should be tight enough that there are no wrinkles or bunching when it is on your hand and attached. The other area to look for is the length of the glove, to ensure that it fits each finger properly. A properly fit glove is one that is snug when you first put it on, because the glove will loosen up a little over time. If it is not fit properly, your glove bunches, wrinkles and wears prematurely.
It is important to remember with golf that once the golf ball is tee’d up and in play, a golfer does not touch the golf ball with his or her body. It is the club that does the work and the only part of your body that touches and controls the clubs are your hands. So having the correct fitting glove, that feels good, will help you perform better too!
One or Two
Because the golf glove is the thin, smooth layer between your hands and the golf club, it is the part of your equipment that protects you against calluses, sores and more. So if you play lots of golf, say a couple of rounds a day or you play regularly and frequently, such as daily or very other day, you may wish to consider the benefit of wearing two gloves. You get the benefit for both hands and your hands will appreciate when you finish a round of 18 and decide to head back to the first tee! Wearing two gloves is more common in Asia than it is in western Europe or in the America’s, as many Asian cultures are particularly sensitive to sun damage. Wearing two gloves act as a barrier to the sun’s rays, helping to protect your hands from skin damage.
Less Expensive Golf Gloves
Like many things in life, you get what you pay for and the same generally holds true for golf gloves. There are many gloves on the market that you can buy and there are good reasons to consider a less expensive one. It could very well be within your price point or your budget that you have set for yourself. Just make sure that the gloves fit you properly and feel comfortable to wear.
However, the drawback with less expensive gloves is that they are constructed with cheaper or less expensive materials and generally lose their shape quickly, which affects your grip. They also wear out in areas like the fastening or with seam stitching that does not hold as well.
Given the shorter life span of the cheaper gloves, you will be paying more over the long term than you will if you buy better quality gloves. Good, high quality golf gloves are generally constructed of a nice, soft leather like cabretta leather, that has been treated to withstand repeated use, to resist the effects of perspiration or moisture, while maintaining its shape and performance for several rounds of golf and practice at the range. As a general rule, a good golf glove will cost somewhere near $10 - $15 dollar range. Better gloves typically sell for more, from $15 to $25 dollars and even closer to $30 for top quality cabretta leather gloves that feel like silk on your hands.
Additional Tips:
If you are looking to buy golf gloves online, check out the tips down below from our world-renowned experts. Just follow these, and you'll be well set on your way:
Give the glove a try by gripping a club to guarantee that it is an appropriate fit;
If you fall between two sizes, attempt to wear the more snug size first;
Check your size toward the beginning of each season; the glove can change over the long term;
For certain men, a women's glove might be your most ideal alternative. Some players wear women's gloves for the better fit;
If your finger length and palm width number contrast by more than two units, you will need to take a look at a few sizes to decide the best one for you;
Remember, a properly fitted glove will feel tight on your hands, especially if you have been wearing the wrong size before – try the new glove as it only take a round for it to adjust to your hand;
If your finger length is less than your palm width, try to wear a cadet glove in your size.
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