How to Choose a Golf Glove: The Complete Guide

September 6, 2026

The golf glove is the only piece of equipment that connects your hand directly to the club, yet it’s the one most players pick without much thought. Get it right and you gain grip, feel and control; get it wrong and you’ll fight the club all round. This guide covers everything that matters — material, fit, which hand, weather and care.

1. Material: leather vs. synthetic

The biggest decision is what the glove is made of. Premium cabretta leather — a soft sheepskin — gives the thinnest, most sensitive feel and the best grip, which is why tour players wear it. Synthetic gloves are more durable and cheaper but feel less connected. Many modern gloves, including our Performance range, combine cabretta grip zones with a hard-wearing build to get the best of both. If pure feel is your priority, go full cabretta with a Tour glove; if you want feel plus longevity, a performance hybrid is ideal. We break this down in our cabretta vs. synthetic guide.

2. Fit: snug like a second skin

A golf glove should fit tighter than an everyday glove — snug across the palm and fingers, with no loose material at the fingertips and no bunching in the palm. New leather stretches slightly as it breaks in, so if you’re between sizes, size down. A glove that’s too big slips under load; one that’s too small wears through at the seams. Our golf glove sizing guide shows how to measure your hand and read the size chart.

3. Which hand?

You wear the glove on your lead hand — the one at the top of the grip. A right-handed golfer wears it on the left hand; a left-handed golfer on the right. The lead hand does most of the gripping work, so that’s where you need the traction and blister protection.

4. Weather: dry, wet and hot rounds

Leather gloves perform beautifully in dry conditions but need care in the wet. For rain or very humid rounds, an all-weather glove keeps its grip when soaked. In heat, a breathable cabretta glove wicks sweat better than most synthetics. If you play year-round, it’s worth owning one leather glove for normal rounds and one all-weather pair for the rough days.

5. Care: make it last

Leather rewards a little care. After each round, take the glove off, smooth it flat and let it air-dry away from direct heat — never leave it balled up in your bag. Rotating two gloves lets each dry fully and roughly doubles their lifespan.