Golf Glove vs. No Glove

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When it comes to golfing a few rounds with friends or in an official competition, there is going to be a mix of no gloves, single gloves, and even two glove-wearing players. 

Throughout history, PGA professional golfers have been famous for playing with no-gloves like Fred Couples or two gloves like Tim Gainey. 

Then you have the rest, which follows a traditional line of thought: to provide blister protection on the inside hand while securing additional grip to give a golfer an added sense of confidence.

And also freeing the mind from any thoughts of the club going flying or similar avoidable mistakes. 

What are the Similarities?

Think about how the game is. When you remove the glove from the player’s hand, the control of this science experiment would be the grip and any friction effects caused by the repeated actions. 

The similarities between having a glove and not having a glove would be nonexistent.

In order to keep the golf club from slipping from a player’s hands, both bare and gloved palms will need to be sweat free.

Otherwise, just picture that driver or iron coming free from the hands of a player, mid-swing, and it is flying through the air. The differences and benefits of having a golf glove versus golfing bare-handed will be vast compared to the similarities. 

 

What are the Differences?

The best way to tackle understanding the difference between the two would be to speak about the benefits of having a golfing glove in a player’s hands. 

The purpose of the golfing glove is to protect the hands from any repeated movement resulting in blistering or other damage to the golfer’s hands. 

In addition to acting as a barrier between the friction and the skin of the player’s hands, golfing gloves offer a boost in gripping power for the golfer. 

This improved grip will result in confidence that the club will not go flying out of the players’ hands, even when taking a hard swing. 

 

Pros and Cons: Golf Glove vs. No Glove

The simple pro for not wearing gloves will be freeing the mind and eliminating just one more action to perform each time you take a swing from the tee box or fairway. 

The con will be that there will be a lack of protection from friction, injuries, or blistering, but also a higher chance of that golf club going flying from one’s grip. 

The pro for having the gloves on will be improved grip, which can help create better swing pattern ergonomics and improve the player’s confidence on each swing. 

The con would be the expense of replacing those gloves each round or every few rounds of play.

For Fred Couples, it leads to him playing barehanded and saving the costs of a new glove. 

 

Which one is Easier?

This can be a good debate for golfers. Not wearing a glove is easy because it will be one less thing to worry about. Therein a golfer will be able to focus more on the game, each shot, than putting on and taking off a glove. 

The next thing to consider is how much easier it is to shoot when you have a glove on, meaning the improved grip can make each stroke a more confident one, equating to fewer shots landing in the hazards and rough. 

In addition, more shots in the fairway and greens allow a player to enjoy easier play. 

 

Which one Lasts Longer?

Take the human hand. The layers of skin that would be exposed to the club shaft grips would last a lifetime; surely, there will be situations in which friction damage or blistering might cause the skin to peel. 

Then you take the protection the golf glove provides that human hand’s layer of skin, allowing it to last longer.

When you think about golfing gloves, they will need to be replaced after a few rounds in most cases. Of course, most PGA tour pros will change them every round of play, but there will also be brands that will last a golfer multiple seasons. 

 

Final Thoughts on Golf Glove vs No Glove

The next thing to ask yourself as the player is, how much will these gloves benefit my game? As mentioned before, these gloves will protect the hands from friction damage and provide a boost to grip, reducing fatigue in the hands. 

We all know that Golf is a game of focus, consistency, and sometimes luck; having the best equipment available can only help. In the end, having a golf glove ready will be ideal. Causal Golfers, look into fingerless brands and styles of gloves.

Pro tour aspiring talents, consider buying bulk. 

 

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