Your glove is probably one of your most important pieces of golfing equipment. Your hands are your only contact point with your club, so it is essential for you to have a comfortable glove that fits properly

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You can play without a glove or you can play with two gloves, but most of us wear a glove on our non-dominant hand. The glove can help protect your hand, particularly if you spend a lot of time on the range; but the glove’s most important function is to improve your grip. I’ve yet to see a proper golf shot ending with the club shooting from one’s hands – well, without being “let go” out of frustration, but I have heard many golfers commenting on how the club slipped or twisted on impact. The glove will certainly help with this and it will assist with feeling comfortable on the grip.

MATERIAL
Full Cabretta leather is the top-of-the-range glove. It is soft and will give you a really good feel. Of course, this comes with a couple of considerations: it is expensive and generally won’t last as long as other gloves. They aren’t great in the wet and if you perspire a lot they can become slick – except for the tiny holes most of the gloves have on the fingers, they don’t breath particularly well. It may be good to have more than one in the bag so you can rotate in a round. Being leather, the gloves don’t last as long as their synthetic counterparts, but when playing a round you won’t get a better feel, and we do need every advantage we can get to bring our scores down. ED’S TIP: Save the real deal for your golf game and use your hybrids on the range.

Hybrid gloves are a combination of leather and synthetic material. They usually have a leather palm, offer good feel and are complemented by synthetic areas that may include mesh for good flexibility. While improving the fit, they also allow good heat dispersion on hot days. They tend to keep their shape well and last longer than the full leather gloves. The “stretchy” synthetic material is usually over the knuckles and in some instances may be on the sides or tops of full fingers. Comfort, coolness and durability are key. These are the go-to gloves for most golfers.

All-weather gloves. Mostly synthetic, these are specially designed to perform (particularly) in wet weather conditions and for areas with high humidity. They have strategically placed quick-drying material, higher synthetic grip areas and offer excellent flexibility, fit and breathability. They keep your hands cool but also on the club when it’s pouring. While you may not play with an all-weather glove all the time, it is an essential item to have in your bag.