Have found yourself asking, “What size golf glove should I wear?” Fear not. You’re not alone. Before teeing up for your next round of golf, make sure your glove fits like a, well, glove.
It sounds simple, picking the correct glove size. Particularly as the vast majority of golfers wear one. But very few golfers have ever undertaken a proper glove fitting to determine their optimal sizing, with most of us simply getting to a place of comfort through trial and error over the years. Let us give you a ‘hand’ with our quick guide to picking out the correct size of golf glove
Why wear a glove?
Golf gloves have been around for over a century, initially designed to help players hang on to the slippery leather wraps which adorned the early clubs. Rubber grips were still some years off, and so a leather grip helped fix the hand to the wrap, enabling players to swing away freely without fear of their club flying out of their hands!
Golf grips have long since developed since then, to the point they can now easily be swung comfortably without a glove. However, a well-fitted golf glove will still provide more grip than going bare-handed in almost all conditions. Wearing a grip your non-dominant hand will also help balance up the strength in grip pressure between the hands when swinging the club.
Does size matter?
There are a myriad of glove sizes available to the modern golfer. Brands such as FootJoy and Srixon will offer everything from junior sizing (with added stretch for growing hands), to ladies gloves (with a more tailored cut), to cadet sizing (gloves with slightly shorter finger-length and a wider palm), to standard men’s offerings, typically ranging from XS to XXL.
With so many options on the market, it’s crucial to find the correct fit for you. The glove needs to transfer the maximum amount of feel from the club to the player, and there shouldn’t be excess material around the ends of the fingers, or around the wrist.
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Something much-discussed when it comes to golf fitting is the feeling of a ‘second skin’. It’s why the soft-feeling and supple leathers in products such as FootJoy’s PureTouch and StaSof are so sought after.
A good rule of thumb (so to speak), is to stretch your hand out within the glove with your palm facing upwards. The glove should come away from the centre of your palm very slightly as you extend your fingers. If you’re unable to fully extend your fingers without discomfort, the glove will likely be too small. Conversely, if you can extend your fingers with the leather sagging into your palm, it’s likely to be too large.