golf gloves · longer lasting gloves · Dec 09, 2020

What Hand Do You Wear a Golf Glove On?

A question that often comes up for first-time buyers of golf gloves is what hand do you wear a golf glove on? Wearing a golf glove is important as it offers several benefits, like a better grip and protection from friction, but it can be tricky at first to figure out which hand it should be worn on. Before purchasing a glove, it’s crucial to know which hand to buy it for so you don’t end up with the wrong one. In this article, we’ll explain what you need to know about golf gloves to help make shopping easier.

Wear the Golf Glove on the Opposite Hand

The golf glove is supposed to be worn on the "opposite" hand of your dominant hand because of hand placement on the club. For example, right-handed players should wear the glove on their left hand and left-handed players should wear the glove on their right hand. Since the "top" hand on a golf club is the lead hand, its grip is crucial for swinging. This is why if you’re right-handed, you wear the glove on your left hand, and vice versa.

Swing and Putting Considerations

Wearing a glove increases your grip on the club which helps with full swings as the club could slip out of your hand. However, players often remove the golf glove while putting to improve their feel of the club. Whether you keep the glove on while putting is completely a matter of preference. Keep in mind though that when removing the glove, always pull gently from the fingers because yanking the glove off or pulling too hard can cause tearing. Additionally, the Glovelast glove shaper is a great way to preserve the shape and material quality of your glove.

Golf Glove Materials

There are many golf glove brands, styles, and materials, even special designs like gloves with tee pockets, weighted golf gloves for strength training, and “smart” gloves that speak swing instructions. The options are practically limitless, however, golf gloves are typically made with leather, synthetic, or hybrid materials. Each material has benefits and drawbacks which is why you should select a golf glove that provides the right balance of comfort, durability, and cost.

Leather Gloves

Leather is the most popular material for golf gloves since it’s the most supple of the three materials. However, depending on use, leather tends to wear out and stretch quicker so you’ll need to replace the glove more often.

Synthetic Gloves

Synthetic materials are more flexible and durable than leather while typically costing less. Synthetic leather looks like the real deal, but it usually doesn't breathe as well as genuine leather.

Hybrid Gloves

As the name suggests, hybrid gloves use leather and synthetic materials, giving you the benefits of both. This can be leather in the palm and on the fingers for a better grip and feel, then synthetic material in the joints and wear points for flexibility and durability.

Take Care of Your Golf Glove

Golf gloves can wear out quickly but there are ways to make golf gloves last longer with proper care. For instance, you can extend its lifespan by slipping the glove off the hand rather than yanking off or unrolling the glove. Another way to preserve a golf glove is by not stuffing it into bags. When the glove is put into a bag without being aired out, it will become stiff, crinkly, and unpleasant to wear. That’s why using a golf glove shaper that promotes air drying (and can be attached to your bag with its carabiner clip) is one of the best things you can do to take care of your glove so it feels great when you wear it on your non-dominant hand.