Why Do Golfers Wear One Glove? — (Pros And Cons Of Wearing a Golf Glove)
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Patrick Corley
- 03/22/2023
When watching golfers on the PGA Tour, you may notice that they only wear one golf glove.
In most other stick and ball sports that require two hands, like hockey, baseball, and even lacrosse, so why do golfers only wear one glove?
As the head golf instructor at Tell Me More Golf’s Apparel Team, will tell you why golfers only wear one glove, the pros & cons of wearing a golf glove, and if you should wear one when you putt.
Why Do Golfers Only Wear One Glove?
Wearing a glove lets a player get a better grip on the club without having to grip the handle too firmly during the golf swing.
A glove also prevents the club’s grip from giving players blisters, calluses, or tearing their skin. x
A glove also keeps a player’s sweaty hands from slipping off the club during their swing.
Most golfers prefer having a bare hand instead of a glove on their dominant hand to keep them from over-gripping the club, which can shut the club face and cause pulled and hooked shots.
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Pro Golfers Who Don’t Wear Gloves
Ben Hogan didn’t wear a glove. Fred Couples, Lucas Glover, and Jonathan Byrd are modern players who don’t wear golf gloves.
That being said: very few professional golfers don’t wear a glove when playing.
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Do You Wear a Golf Glove When Putting?
It’s up to you and your personal preference for wearing a glove or not when you putt. Jack Nicklaus wore a glove when putting, and he won 18 majors, but he’s certainly the exception to the rule.
Most golfers on the PGA Tour take off their golf gloves when putting as they think they have a better feel with the putter in their hands.
Likewise, many golfers will take their golf gloves off when hitting golf shots around the green, like pitches and chips, where they want to be able to feel the club.
FAQ Section
Why do golfers take their gloves off after every shot?
There are several reasons why golfers take their golf gloves off between shots. On hot days, their hands can sweat a lot inside their gloves.
Golfers take their gloves off so their skin can breathe, and the gloves can dry out. However, if you leave the glove on the entire time, the sweat can soak through, and the glove can slip on the golf club’s grip.
Also, when golf gloves get wet and then dry out repeatedly, the material can stiffen and shrink, making them more prone to damage like ripping and tearing.
Another reason that many golfers take their gloves off between shots is it is a part of their post-shot and pre-shot routine. After a golfer hits his shot and takes his glove off, that shot is over, and he puts the glove into his back pocket and walks up to his ball.
When a golfer gets ready for his next shot, taking the glove out of the back pocket and putting it on is part of getting themself ready to hit the next shot.
Why do golfers wear a glove on their non-dominant hand?
Right-handed players wear their golf gloves on their left hand, and left-handed golfers wear gloves on their right hand.
When gripping the club, the non-dominant hand is the hand that goes onto the club first. Either in the fingers or across the palm, at the top of the handle of a golf club. The golf glove on the non-dominant hand ensures that the golfer can grip the club comfortably and firmly. A good grip ensures they can swing the club without too much tension and without worrying about the club slipping from their hand.
The top hand goes onto the bottom hand on the club in a baseball, interlocking, or overlapping golf grip. Many golfers dislike wearing a glove on their dominant hand and prefer a bare hand because they fear that they will overgrip the club, which can shut the clubface and cause pulled or hooked shots.
It can also be uncomfortable for golfers with an overlapping or interlocking grip to wear a glove on their dominant hand as it can interfere with those styles of grips.
Why did Jack Nicklaus wear a glove while putting?
In an interview with Frank Thomas, Jack Nicklaus said, “Frank, the more you take a glove off, the greater the chance of stretching it out and having to replace it sooner.
I never found an advantage or disadvantage to taking the glove off or leaving it on. I practiced putting many times without a glove on, and it never bothered me, nor was it ever an advantage.”
Later in the interview, he says, “It should be about whether you knock the ball in the hole or not, not whether you are wearing a glove or not. If you are worrying about a golf glove, you’re not worrying enough about making a good stroke and making the putt.”
Because Frank and Jack were old friends, I think you can safely say that Jack might have had his tongue firmly planted in his cheek in the first part of the quote.
However, the rest of the quote speaks to how Jack was comfortable wearing his glove when putting and felt like he could make more putts wearing one.
Conclusion: Research by Tellmemoregolf.com
There are many reasons why golfers only wear one golf glove but getting a better grip on the club and protecting one’s hands are the two most important reasons.
Golfers typically wear a golf glove on their non-dominant hand as it is the hand that goes onto the grip of the club first. It makes the most contact with the club and lets them grip the club comfortably but not too firmly to cause too much tension in the grip.
Golfers like to keep their strong hands bare as they don’t like the feeling of having too much grip that the glove gives them for fear that they will shut down the clubface and hit pull and hooked shots. The golf glove on the dominant hand can also interfere with interlocking and overlapping grips.
Only a handful of golfers don’t wear a golf glove or two gloves when they play.
Most golfers on the PGA Tour take off their gloves when putting, and many take them off for any shot around the green that calls for a lot of feel.
In the end, wearing one glove, no glove, or even two gloves, is a matter of personal preference for every golfer.
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