Updated July 5, 2023. This article was thoroughly audited by multiple golf experts and coaches for its accuracy. You can read more about our rigorous testing protocol here.
Golf gloves are ubiquitous in the game of golf but aren’t talked about nearly as much as most other pieces of equipment (like golf shorts) 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 golf 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 correct size.
Let’s look at what you need to know to make an informed buying decision for the best golf gloves for grip & comfort.
Featured Recommendations
Last updated on 2023-11-21. The links are affiliate links. Product images are served from Amazon Product Advertising API.
A golf 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 best golf gloves should be flexible, comfortable, durable, and valuable in many conditions. Specialty golf gloves are made for playing in extreme conditions like heavy rain or cold.
We’ve tested traditional Cabretta leather golf glove and those made of synthetic materials, multi-compound golf 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 golf glove will suit your game and the conditions under which you play.
Table of Contents
- Featured Recommendations
- Best Golf Gloves 2023
- What to Look for When Choosing the Best Golf Gloves
- Questions & Answers
- What are the different types of materials used to make golf gloves?
- Which hand should wear the glove?
- What gloves provide excellent grip?
- How do I know if a golf glove fits me well?
- What specific features of a golf glove should I look for?
- How can I prevent getting blisters when playing golf?
- Can I use golf gloves if I have arthritis?
- What are the different types of materials used to make golf gloves?
Best Golf Gloves 2023
Here are the golf gloves we recommend:
TaylorMade Tour Preferred Flex Golf Glove
Best Overall Golf Glove
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PROS
- 4-way stretch nylon insert helps expand the glove for a better fit
- Outstanding venting with plenty of perforation along with fingers and top of hand
- Contoured wrist helps craft glove that fits closely to the hand with maximum comfort
CONS
- Smaller fastener on the wrist
- Slimmer fit, especially good with smaller fingers, but not bigger hands
The TaylorMade Tour Preferred Flex Golf Glove provides you with a slender shape that molds to your hand while giving you marvelous flexibility and breathability.
Flexibility With Nylon Insert
The golf glove features a dynamic nylon insert to increase flexibility and stretch when you wrap your hand around the club’s grip. The insert runs from the outside of your hand, on the side away from your thumb, and stops at the middle knuckle.
You’ll find the insert really helps out with additional flexibility when you are wrapping your hand around irons and hybrids.
Exceptional Breathability
You won’t find a better golf glove for breathability. TaylorMade has given the Tour Preferred plenty of venting holes along the knuckles and fingers to keep your hand dry and cool during your round.
The venting has been strategically placed for maximum airflow to reach the fingers and palm of your hand.
Callaway Dawn Patrol Golf Glove
Best All Leather Golf Glove
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PROS
- Excellent comfort and feel, thanks to its high-quality all-leather material
- Great absorption with the Cotton Terry canvas cuff
- Great breathability
- Opti-Fit Velcro closure system with three fastening options: thin, light and secure fit
CONS
- Not water resistant, so not suitable for rain conditions and overly sweaty hand
- If you have the tendency of gripping the club too tightly, the finger areas can break easily
Callaway Dawn Patrol 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 golf 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, I believe you’re paying a bit of a premium for the brand name because of its dominance.
You can get a golf 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 golf 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 golf 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 golf glove soaking wet is also a good way to reduce its lifespan. If it starts raining or the golf glove starts getting sweat-soaked, I’d suggest stowing it in your bag and using one designed for wet-conditions use.
Footjoy StaSof Golf Glove
Best Golf Glove For Sweaty Hands
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PROS
- Dynamic moisture control offers outstanding breathability
- All-weather grip works well in wet conditions
- Patented leather-mix offers superior flexibility and feel
CONS
- Higher price point makes glove ideal for serious golfers
- Softer leather wears down faster than a standard glove
Footjoy has long held the billing of being the top golf glove maker in the golf equipment industry and their latest, the StaSof, delivers the high-quality fabric and performance you’d long expect from the company.
Outstanding Gripping Power
When you want the driver to stick in your hand, the StaSof comes through with outstanding gripping ability. The tact on the fingers and palm of the golf glove locks the grip in your hands for full confident swings.
During our time with the golf glove, our hardest hitting testers never felt their drivers slip in their hands while wearing the Footjoy glove.
On short pitch shots and wedge swings, the StaSof performs beautifully, offering a boatload of feel and touch. For low handicappers, the softness mimics the best tour-level golf gloves on the market today.
Wonderful Fit
With a tailored fit, the StaSof runs against the hand closely but does not restrict movement. When you close your hand, making a fist, the leather provides terrific flex that works with your natural grip of the golf club.
You should note that the premium nature of the StaSof does mean that the performance stays high, but once the delicate leather begins to break down, you’ll need to reach for a new glove.
If you are not a serious golfer, the added expenditure to keep a fresh glove may be too much to bear for your budget.
Callaway OptiColor Leather Golf Glove
Most Stylish Golf Glove
PROS
- Stylish, eye-catching color choices for players who care about looks and style
- Great breathability with perforated palm and finger areas
- Innovative Optifeel closure system for both security and comfort
CONS
- Not totally water resistant, avoid usage in rainy conditions
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 popular G-Fore glove line price.
Performance-wise, I’d call the Callaway OptiColor golf glove excellent.
It is soft, comfortable leather golf gloves with a 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 golf glove whose looks really stand out.
MG DynaGrip All-Cabretta Leather Golf Glove
Best Value For Money
PROS
- The price is right
- Soft Cabretta leather
CONS
- 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 golf gloves under $10 are made with cheap synthetic fabrics that don’t 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 golf 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 a 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 tears.
Most golf 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 golf 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 golf 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.
Bionic StableGrip Golf Glove
Best Golf Glove For Advanced Golfers
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PROS
- Innovative design to help reduce grip pressure
- Durable
- Lycra between the fingers improves breathability
- Helpful for golfers with arthritis
CONS
- Strange feel, takes a while to get used to
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 golf 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 golf 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 incredibly 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 golf 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 golfers 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 golf glove. It might allow them to keep playing.
Ultimately, it’s up to you
The Bionic StableGrip is one of the more divisive golf 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.
Under Armour CoolSwitch Golf Glove
Best Innovative Golf Gloves
PROS
- CoolSwitch technology, a special internal coating that pulls heat away from your palm
- Excellent grip in almost any conditions
- Micro-perf ventilation and Moisture Transport System bring you both absorption and breathability
CONS
- Easily catches dirt, so will need extra cleaning most of the time
- Not water resistant, avoid using in wet conditions
Under Armour continues its pattern of introducing progressive ideas into the golf industry with the CoolSwitch Golf Glove.
There’s a coating on the golf glove’s interior 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 golf 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 golf gloves tested to 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 golf 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 golf glove at all.
Having a golf glove that helps keep your hands cool and stay dry while providing a great grip means the Under Armour CoolSwitch merits your consideration.
FootJoy RainGrip Golf Gloves
Best Golf Glove For Rain
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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
- High price tag
I want to be clear: the FootJoy RainGrip Golf 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 golf glove away as soon as the 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. It really stings if your hands get cold and you hit it a little thin.
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.
Wilson Sporting Goods Glove
Best Glove For Senior Golfers
PROS
- Super-soft leather offers a premium feel and touch
- Tour-cut keeps leather close to the skin with exceptional flex
- Hand washable to keep the glove fresh for an extended period
CONS
- Minimal mesh across the knuckles prevents additional breathability
- Appearance is quite plain for golfers that like color
Wilson’s top-tier golf glove provides senior golfers with a super-soft material that breathes easily, making it great for golfers in hot climates. For golfers that want traditional, the white leather with minimal black trim offers a classic look.
With a soft feel, the Wilson glove provides a dynamic option if you are looking for a premium model at a lower price point.
Outstanding Fit
Another positive worth mentioning on the Wilson glove is the cut. There’s no wasted material here that makes the glove loose on your hand.
Instead, Wilson has finely crafted their base golf glove to fit snugly against your fingers without being too tight.
In fact, Wilson boasts that these best golf gloves come with pre-curved fingers to help introduce a custom fit with your hand. Simply put, we loved the fit of this Wilson glove.
If you are looking for negatives, we were a little disappointed with the lack of mesh venting in the glove’s knuckles.
While that isn’t a deal killer in our eyes, we did want additional airflow at times. But never did we feel that the golf glove became too wet or needed to be air-dried during the round.
Long-Lasting Durability
We love this golf glove for senior golfers because of its affordable price with long-lasting durability. The Wilson glove does an admirable job at keeping your grip tight against the golf club while providing exceptional comfort for casual golfers.
What to Look for When Choosing the Best Golf Gloves
Comfort
Golf gloves 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 an excellent feeling glove from day one.
Grip
Golf gloves 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 golf gloves are to improve your grip and eliminate blisters, with the grip being the most important by a long shot.
Durability
Golf Gloves are fairly inexpensive, but you still want a glove that’ll last. If your golf gloves are worn down and showing holes after just a few rounds, the expense of replacements can start to add up.
Are budget-friendly golf gloves really worth it? If golf gloves save you a few bucks but last half as long, you’re not saving any money.
Technology
Does the glove effectively use technology? Some golf gloves 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.
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 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 store 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 buying 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 lycra or other synthetic touches to make the glove more flexible. Unfortunately, most of these hybrid or compound grips still have Cabretta on all the places where you’re 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.
Entirely synthetic gloves are available but generally don’t have the soft feel combined with the 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 lousy 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 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 with 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 an excellent 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 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 golf 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 quickly.
Can I use golf gloves if I have arthritis?
Not only can you use golf gloves for grip & comfort when you have arthritis, you absolutely should. I’d suggest checking out the Bionic StableGrip reviewed above, as it may enable you to play more golf than you thought possible with arthritis.
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