Edited by: Jordan Fuller
Reviewed by: John Marshall
Last Update:
Golf gloves are a ubiquitous presence in the game of golf, but aren’t talked about nearly as much as most other pieces of equipment that golfers use.
It’s pretty much assumed that you’ll wear a glove on your lead hand, and that cabretta leather is the gold standard in golf glove construction.
But there’s a surprising variety of gloves available on the market, and it can be confusing when you look at all the options: there’s more to it than simply finding the right size.
Let’s look at what you need to know to make an informed buying decision for the best golf gloves for grip and comfort.
Featured Recommendations
A glove should provide tackiness beyond what human skin can achieve. Since an ideal grip pressure is “as if you’re holding a baby bird”, you may need a little bit of assistance to maintain a light grip pressure while still having good control of the golf club.
The ideal glove should be flexible, comfortable, durable, and useful in many different conditions. There are also specialty gloves made for playing extreme conditions like heavy rain or cold.
We’ve tested traditional cabretta leather gloves as well as gloves made of synthetic materials, multi-compound gloves with synthetics and leather together, rain gloves, winter gloves, and some gloves that are thinking outside the box.
This article will help you figure out what glove will suit your game and the conditions under which you play.
Table Of Contents
- 1 Featured Recommendations
-
2 9 Best Golf Gloves For Grip & Comfort
- 2.1 1. Mizuno Pro Golf Glove
- 2.2 2. Finger Ten Rain Grip Golf Glove
- 2.3 3. Callaway Dawn Patrol Golf Glove
- 2.4 4. Callaway Golf Opti-Color Leather Glove
- 2.5 5. MG Golf DynaGrip All-Cabretta Leather Glove
- 2.6 6. Bionic StableGrip Golf Glove
- 2.7 7. TaylorMade Stratus Golf Glove
- 2.8 8. FootJoy RainGrip Gloves - Pair
- 2.9 9. Finger Ten Synthetic Leather Junior Golf Glove
- 3 Testing Protocol & Criteria Used For Evaluation
-
4 Questions & Answers
- 4.1 What are the different types of materials used to make golf gloves?
- 4.2 Which hand should wear the glove?
- 4.3 What gloves provide excellent grip?
- 4.4 How do I know if a golf glove fits me well?
- 4.5 What specific features of a golf glove should I look for?
- 4.6 How can I prevent getting blisters when playing golf?
- 4.7 Can I use golf gloves if I have arthritis?
9 Best Golf Gloves For Grip & Comfort
1. Mizuno Pro Golf Glove
Our Top Pick For Most Golfers: Simple, effective, comfortable and durable
Buy on Amazon $17.76
PROS
- Soft and comfortable
- Cabretta leather provides excellent grip
- Mizuno Flex Mesh over knuckles is a nice touch
CONS
- Not great at wicking sweat
- Must remove gloves between shots on hot days
The Mizuno Pro golf glove has been my personal go-to for several years now, and it continues to be an extremely well-made, comfortable and durable glove at a price that I think is quite reasonable for the performance.
It’s ready to go right out of the gate, requires no break-in and provides an excellent grip.
Cabretta Leather Construction
Cabretta leather is sheepskin and has long been the gold standard for golf glove manufacturers. It’s tougher than most sheepskins as it’s made from sheep that grow hair instead of wool, and thus makes for a soft but durable glove.
Mizuno Flex Mesh
Mizuno does make a nod towards newer glove technology with a small strip of “Flex Mesh” across the knuckles on the top of your hand. This is a great addition as it adds to the flexibility of the glove and ensures there’s no break-in period. It also gives a slight cooling effect as the mesh allows for a bit more breathability than an all-leather glove.
Durable
Mizuno’s Pro golf glove has proven to be extremely durable. I’ve gotten several months of use out of a single glove, playing three or four times a week.
The thing just holds up: even when it starts to wear, the grip stays good. And it really takes a long time before I start to see small holes develop in the thumb.
This speaks to the quality of the leather that Mizuno uses in the construction of the glove. The stitching is also very well done. Many gloves, especially those made of compound materials like this one, will start to wear out along the stitches. I’ve never had that issue with a Mizuno glove.
If you tend towards sweaty hands or play in very hot conditions, I’d suggest taking the glove off between each shot to prolong its life. Nothing will kill a good glove faster than several sweaty rounds in a row.
Bang for the buck
Many elite manufacturers like Mizuno make gloves that carry a price tag of over $20. While I think a good, durable glove is certainly worth paying that much for, it’s refreshing to find a glove of this quality at a price under $20.
Mizuno has a winner on their hands here, and my only hope is that they don’t make any major changes to their flagship glove.
2. Finger Ten Rain Grip Golf Glove
Best For Wet or Sweaty Hands: Hydrophobic kangaroo leather for rainy days
Buy on Amazon $7.99
PROS
- Better-than-leather grip in wet conditions
- Dries fast on hot, sweaty days
CONS
- Slightly reduced feel
The Finger Ten Rain Grip Golf Glove is a synthetic mesh glove designed to be used on rainy or particularly hot days when your hands are likely to get wet.
The mesh material they’re constructed of wicks moisture from your hands and dries quickly, so if you’re prone to sweating a lot on hot days, these are worth a look.
Dry performance
The Finger Ten claims to be an all-weather glove, but I found it most useful on wet and extremely hot days.
On dry days with normal temperatures, you’ll be giving up feel by not using a glove with a leather palm and more tackiness.
Wet performance
But when it starts raining, the glove really shines. The propietary Suedemark microfiber palm material maintains a good grip when it starts to get damp, and still hangs on to the club well if it’s soaked.
If you’re stuck in a temporary downpour (Floridians are quite familiar with the requisite 15 minute cloudburst on even the sunniest days) this glove will come in very handy.
It also dries out quickly so your hand will be comfortable if the sun comes back out.
Get a pair
Most rain gloves come in sets of two, so keep in mind that the Finger Ten glove is a single glove only. It’s still budget friendly when ordering one for each hand, but you’ll need to remember that they’re not sold in pairs.
I always recommend wearing gloves on both hands when its raining to help prevent slipping.
3. Callaway Dawn Patrol Golf Glove
Best No-Risk Option: Classic all-leather construction for great grip and feel
Buy on Amazon
$12.99
PROS
- Soft
- Comfortable
- Elegant
CONS
- Slippery when wet
- Not as breathable as more modern fabrics
Callaway’s Dawn Patrol leather golf glove is a true classic: it’s 100% cabretta leather construction is the kind of glove I grew up with and still enjoys worldwide popularity.
It’s reminiscent of the classic FootJoy Sta Sof leather glove but offers the same high level of performance at a much lower price tag.
Brand recognition
FootJoy, ironically, is the premier golf glove brand on the market. In many golf shops, it’s the only brand of glove available. However, because of its dominance, I believe you’re paying a bit of a premium for the brand name.
You can get a glove that’s just as well made from a major manufacturer like Callaway at a much better price.
Durability
The best way to prolong the life of a golf glove is to take it off between every shot and to let the glove rest for a day after you use it.
With the low price of the Callaway Dawn Patrol, you can easily afford to buy several and use them in a rotation if you’re planning to play back-to-back days. Giving the glove a day to fully dry out after a round will really extend its life.
The Dawn Patrol is a well-made, all-leather glove. It’s quite durable, lasting for over 15 rounds before starting to show signs of needing to be replaced. For the average golfer, that means it’ll last several months.
Fit
The Callaway Dawn Patrol fits perfectly: snug, soft, comfortable. The velcro tabs grab well and allow for a perfect-feeling golf glove.
Put it away when the rain comes
This is not a glove for rainy weather, however. When the rains come, the glove absorbs water quickly and the club suddenly starts to feel quite slippery.
Getting a cabretta leather glove soaking wet is also a good way to reduce its lifespan. If it starts raining or the glove starts getting sweat-soaked, I’d suggest stowing it in your bag and using a glove designed for wet-conditions use.
4. Callaway Golf Opti-Color Leather Glove
Best For Color Options: Good performance and a wide variety of color options
Buy on Amazon $19.99
PROS
- Comfortable and soft
- Lots of different colors available
CONS
- Slightly more expensive than traditional equivalent
The Callaway OptiColor Leather Golf Glove is essentially the Dawn Patrol glove reviewed above, but available in numerous color options.
Color options at half the price
While it runs a few dollars more than the classic white Dawn Patrol glove, it still comes in at half the price of the popular G-Fore glove line.
Performance-wise, I’d call the Callaway OptiColor glove excellent.
It is soft, comfortable leather gloves with great grip and feel. The Callaway OptiColor has traditional perforations to increase breathability and help diffuse heat, though I’d still recommend removing the glove between shots.
Stand out
So if you’re looking for tour-level performance and some interesting splashes of color to highlight your carefully chosen golf outfit, the Callaway OptiColor is our pick for a top notch glove whose looks really stand out.
5. MG Golf DynaGrip All-Cabretta Leather Glove
Best Value For Money: Soft feel but some durability issues
Buy on Amazon $8.25
PROS
- The price is right
- Soft cabretta leather
CONS
- Not very durable
- Thin leather and questionable stitching
MG Golf brings us their DynaGrip all-cabretta leather glove at a price point that’s unparalleled for an all-leather glove.
Most gloves under $10 are made with cheap synthetic fabrics that don’t provide much grip. The MG DynaGrip is all-leather and feels much better than the competitors in the under-$10 category.
A new glove every round
If you’re the type of player who wants to emulate tour pros and sport a new glove every round, you’ll need to find a glove like this to fit your budget. The MG Dynagrip fits well and provides an excellent grip.
It’s soft and snug, with perforations on the fingers for breathability. It’s advertised as having thin leather for better feel, and the leather is indeed thin and feels great.
That’s a bit of the problem, though: the thin leather makes it more susceptible to holes and tearing. Most gloves I’ve used don’t have an issue with tearing, but the MG DynaGrip had a tendency to rip lengthwise along the thumb or the outer part of the hand after 4-6 rounds.
Playing on hot days and rainy days shortened the life even further, as the paper-thin leather just seemed to disintegrate when it got wet.
Keep a spare in the bag
For the occasional player or the golfer who loves the feel of a new glove every couple of rounds, the MG will fit the bill, and it won’t dent your budget too hard.
However, make sure you keep a spare or two in your bag, as when the MG DynaGrip starts to go, it really falls apart and becomes unusable quickly.
A glove like the Mizuno or Callaway reviewed earlier may develop a small hole on a contact point, but it can at least be used until the end of the round. The MG tends to tear and become completely unwearable when its lifespan runs out.
6. Bionic StableGrip Golf Glove
Best For Advanced Golfers: Odd-feeling glove can help reduce grip pressure
Buy on Amazon from $16.60
PROS
- Innovative design to help reduce grip pressure
- Durable
- Lycra between the fingers improves breathability
- Helpful for arthritis sufferers
CONS
- Strange feel takes a while to get used to
- Some feel it negatively affects their game
The Bionic StableGrip golf glove is the oddest duck in this year’s review lineup.
Definitely a product of outside-of-the-box thinking, it’s got pads built into the fingers and palm of the glove to help distribute and reduce grip pressure.
The pads immediately feel awkward but if you’re someone who struggles with overly tight grip pressure, the Bionic StableGrip might be worth fighting past the initial awkward feeling.
Fat fingers
It’s pretty much universal: pull a new glove out of the package, put it on your hand and make a few fists to stretch it out and get a feel for the glove.
When you do that with the Bionic, your fist will feel incredible strange. The inside of each finger has a pair of pads that flank your knuckles, and they’re thick and noticeable.
Bionic claims that this helps distribute grip pressure more evenly on the club and reduce grip pressure overall. It definitely encourages a lighter grip, as grabbing it too tight will cause the pads to press uncomfortably into your fingers.
Fat palms
The Bionic StableGrip also has an added pad in the palm to enhance its durability. The whole feeling of the glove is “thick hands” – I can’t think of a better way to describe it. Some players may find performance negatively affected as the feeling can cause the hands to release differently than normal.
Arthritis relief
A major advantage of the technology in the Bionic StableGrip is that golfer with arthritis find it incredibly helpful. Whereas it might be too painful to play with a traditional glove, the Bionic glove makes it possible to grip the club and play without pain. If you know someone who thinks they have to give up golf due to arthritis, give them a Bionic glove. It might allow them to keep playing.
Ultimately, it’s up to you
The Bionic StableGrip is one of the more divisive gloves on the market: some golfers swear it works great and helps their game. Others put it on and take it off immediately without even swinging a golf club with it. It’s just that odd feeling. Ultimately, it comes down to personal feel.
7. TaylorMade Stratus Golf Glove
Best Innovative Golf Gloves: Innovative Inner Coating Cool Your Hands
Buy on Amazon from $10.95
PROS
- Glove actively cools your hand on a hot day
- Highly sweat-wicking
CONS
- Quality control needs improvement
- Not as soft as fully leather gloves
Under Armour continues its pattern of introducing progressive ideas into the golf industry with the CoolSwitch golf gloves.
There’s a coating on the interior of the glove that’s designed to draw heat from the skin and cool the hand underneath, which is highly useful on a hot day with the sun beating down.
Chill, baby, chill
The focus of the Under Armour CoolSwitch is right there in the name: keeping it cool. The interior coating works surprisingly well at keeping your hand cool, and the moisture-wicking fabric lining the fingers helps keep your hands nice and dry.
This is a great glove if you want to leave your glove on the whole round instead of taking it off between each shot. Even if your hand starts sweating in the heat, the glove does a great job of dissipating that heat.
Quality Control
One of the CoolSwitch gloves tested fit perfectly and seemed quite durable. Unfortunately, another one was too long in a couple of the fingers and had some loose stitching that came apart after just a few rounds.
I was surprised by this lack of quality control, because most Under Armour apparel I’ve used has been absolutely top notch. I know that manufacturing irregularities happen, and hopefully the glove I got was just an aberration.
Great feel
The CoolSwitch’s cabretta leather palm provided a great, soft grip. And I love the integration of the flexible material with the leather – it feels like you’re barely wearing a glove at all.
Having a glove that helps keep your hands cool and stay dry while providing a great grip means the Under Armour CoolSwitch merits your consideration.
8. FootJoy RainGrip Gloves - Pair
Exclusively For Rain: Great grip soaking wet
Buy on Amazon $21.95
PROS
- Incredible performance in the rain
- Comes as a pair so neither hand will slip
- Better performance the wetter they get
- Good for cool weather play
CONS
- Not for use when it’s dry
- Expensive
I want to be clear: the FootJoy RainGrip gloves are specifically for use in the rain or when it’s quite cold out. When it’s dry, I’d suggest going with a glove that has a leather grip.
The 97.2 overall rating specifically applies only to the FootJoy RainGrip gloves in the conditions they’re meant for: rainy day golf.
But boy do they ever work! The FootJoy RainGrip get better as they get wetter. I like to carry a pair of them all the time and put my leather glove away as soon as rain starts.
Two gloves?
The FootJoy RainGrip is sold as a pair of gloves instead of a single glove for your lead hand. Some golfers may balk at the idea of wearing two gloves (unless you’re Tommy Two-Gloves himself), but when it starts raining, you should do anything you can to maintain a good grip.
If you’re playing through a rainstorm, you’re either very dedicated, playing great, in a tournament, or in a hurry. No matter your reason for not waiting out the rain or coming back another day, you’re going to have to deal with wet grips despite your best efforts with umbrellas and towels.
The FootJoy RainGrip gloves used as a pair provide an excellent grip even if your grips are soaking wet. The proprietary material FootJoy uses actually gains tackiness the wetter it gets, so you shouldn’t experience any slippage with these.
Warmer than leather
I’ve also played my share of cold weather golf, and the toughest part of that is keeping your hands warm. If your hands get cold and you hit it a little thin, it really stings.
The FootJoy RainGrip gloves don’t get icy cold like leather gloves can when it’s cold out. And since they come in a pair, you can wear both and they’ll keep your hands fairly warm.
If you’re playing in 40-degree weather, I’d suggest going with full-on winter golf gloves. But when it’s high 40s/low 50s and just a little too chilly to be comfortable, the RainGrip gloves will come in handy.
9. Finger Ten Synthetic Leather Junior Golf Glove
Best For Junior Golfers: Solid, durable glove in junior sizes that won’t break the bank
Buy on Amazon $14.99
PROS
- Multiple junior size options
- Good in all weather conditions
- Funky color options
- Comes in a 2-pack for better value
CONS
- Mediocre feel
Finger Ten knows that there’s a market out there for junior golf equipment, and the synthetic leather junior glove is here to fill a need.
It’s a well-made, durable glove that will last a good long time and will help protect your child’s hand from blistering too much. And the grip it offers is pretty good, which is important.
You don’t want to catch a driver upside the chin because your child had trouble holding onto their club.
The reward system
If you’ve got a child who’s just starting to get bitten by the golf bug, you know how important it can be to keep their fires stoked.
Golf’s a sport that can be frustrating, especially at the beginning, because there’s a very steep learning curve for the vast majority who aren’t naturals.
My suggestion for keeping kids interested until they start making good contact and realize what fun golf can be is to turn it into a series of mini-games. Have putting contests instead of always playing full holes.
Try chipping short chips with a free sleeve of brightly colored balls as the reward for a chip-in.
I’ve found it highly effective to have tangible rewards, so these Finger Ten gloves will make a great one. Perhaps tell your child that they’ll get to use a golf glove once they make their first bogey.
Kids generally want to emulate their parents, so having a goal to reach in order to use a glove like their parents do can be a strong motivator.
I distinctly remember when I was 10 years old and broke 100 for the first time. I was rewarded with my first pair of real golf spikes!
Those metal-spiked junior FootJoys wouldn’t be allowed on most courses these days, but wow was I ever proud to be wearing spikes.
I didn’t start using a glove until later when I had to do long range sessions as part of a junior golf program. By then it was a necessity, but if an affordable and durable glove like the Finger Ten had been available, I would’ve loved to have been rewarded for my first birdie with a real glove that fit me well.
How’s the quality?
The Finger Ten synthetic glove would never be confused with a cabretta leather glove, but really there’s no need for a junior golfer to be using a cabretta leather glove.
This will get the job done well, and the durable synthetic material will make the glove last. Add to that the fact that it comes in a two-pack, and this is a bargain I can get behind.
The glove has a cool design and should be a big hit at a junior golf clinic or your burgeoning golfer’s birthday party.
Testing Protocol & Criteria Used For Evaluation
Criteria 1: Comfort
A glove should be extremely comfortable. You shouldn’t notice its presence or have to constantly readjust it.
There should be no break-in time required: you should be able to open the package and have a great feeling glove from day one.
Criteria 2: Grip
A glove should improve your grip on the golf club. If you put on your glove and the club suddenly feels more slippery, then it’s a pretty bad glove!
The two main reasons to wear a glove are to improve your grip and to eliminate blisters, with grip being the most important by a long shot.
Criteria 3: Durability
Gloves are fairly inexpensive, but you still want a glove that’ll last. If your glove is worn down and showing holes after just a few rounds, the expense of replacements can start to add up.
Are budget-friendly gloves really worth it? If a glove saves you a few bucks but lasts half as long, you’re not really saving any money.
Criteria 4: Technology
Does the glove effectively use technology? Some glove manufacturers stick to the tried and true all-leather construction, but others are all about advancing the glove with space-age fabrics and other advancements designed to improve comfort and grip.
Do these work? Are they worth the price? This criterion will rate how well the glove’s design impacts its performance.
Criteria 5: Fit
I know my glove size: cadet large. That means my hands are size Large, but my fingers are slightly shorter than standard size Large gloves. Because I know my size, I can often save some money by ordering gloves in bulk online.
However, sometimes I’ll get a batch of Cadet Large gloves that just don’t fit right. Since glove size is supposed to be universal across brands, the fit rating reflects how well they adhere to these sizes.
If you don’t know your size, go to a golf or sporting goods stores and try some on! There’s a right size for everyone, whether it’s ML (Medium Large) or a Cadet variation.
Most gloves have packaging that allows you to try the glove on before you buy it. And ideally every manufacturer’s size will be consistent. An ill-fitting glove is an unnecessary distraction on the golf course.
Questions & Answers
What are the different types of materials used to make golf gloves?
Most gloves, especially those used on tour, are made primarily of cabretta leather. Cabretta is a sheepskin leather made from sheep who grow hair instead of wool. It’s soft, tacky and durable.
Other modern gloves will add in lycra or other synthetic touches to make the glove more flexible. Most of these hybrid or compound grips still have cabretta on all the places where you’re actually touching the club.
The Hirzl glove reviewed above uses Kangaroo leather in the grip to make it perform better in the rain. There are also fully synthetic rain gloves that perform very well.
Fully synthetic gloves are available but generally don’t have the soft feel combined with tackiness and snug fit that leather gloves provide.
Which hand should wear the glove?
Unless you opt to wear gloves on both hands like Tommy Gainey, you’ll want to wear the glove on your lead hand: the left hand for right-handed golfers and vice versa for lefties. The lead hand has much more friction during the swing and more impact on grip pressure.
A bad swing will often result in a one-handed follow-through, and you’ll want your glove on that hand if you want to hang onto the club. Having a glove on your lead hand will also help prevent painful blisters and calluses.
What gloves provide excellent grip?
Until they come up with a synthetic that can match it, cabretta leather will remain the gold standard in golf gloves for the foreseeable future. It provides the best grip and the best feel.
How do I know if a golf glove fits me well?
Your glove should be snug but not too snug, tight on your hand but not restrictively so. It should feel like a second skin.
There shouldn’t be any loose fabric, but your hand also should be free to move as if it wasn’t wearing a glove.
What specific features of a golf glove should I look for?
First and foremost, the glove should fit well. Once you’ve got a glove that fits so well you barely notice you’re wearing it, you’ll want to be sure it’s got a nice tacky grip.
A good glove will hold onto the golf club well so you don’t have to exert a high amount of grip pressure to keep the club from slipping during your swing.
I like a mostly leather glove that has some flexible lycra accents that make it stretchy and flexible. This allows for a tight fit but still maximum freedom of motion.
The leather should be thin enough to provide great feel, but thick enough so that it won’t tear midway through a round.
For rainy conditions, you’ll want a glove that grips well when it’s soaking wet and then dries out quickly. In cold weather, you should look for as thin a glove as you can find that still keeps your hands comfortably warm.
How can I prevent getting blisters when playing golf?
If you’re getting blisters when you’re playing golf, you’re probably gripping the club too hard. Your clubs may need new grips to increase their tackiness.
You may need a new glove if yours has worn down too much. Or you may just need to focus on a softer grip.
If your blisters aren’t from a too-tight grip, you’re probably hitting a TON of balls at the driving range. Until you’ve developed calluses like Alex Noren, make sure you’re switching to a fresh glove every couple of buckets and airing your gloves out when you’re done with the session.
You might even want to look into wearing a glove on both hands if you’re still fighting blisters. Some people just have softer skin that blisters up more easily.