1. Quick list
2. Best overall
3. Best budget
4. Most durable
5. Most stylish
6. Best high-end
7. Best for practice
8. Best premium Callaway glove
9. Best for sweaty hands
10. Best cheap Titleist
11. Best for the rain
12. Best for small hands
13. Best for beginners
14. Best patterned
15. How to pick
16. How we test
17. FAQs
Golf gloves are the most underappreciated piece of golf equipment. Your hands are the first points of contact between you and the club, and the glove provides the extra grip you need to keep the club face square, increasing your chances of hitting a straight ball.
We tested these golf gloves for everything from grip to feel to durability to ensure they deliver everything you need to succeed on the course. There are several different styles and types of golf gloves to choose from, so before you decide, read everything you need to know before buying a golf glove.
Different gloves will work better depending on the weather conditions and how often you play. As such, you should consider grabbing different types of gloves if you plan to play in rain or extreme cold. If you plan to stick with good weather, a standard glove should do the job.
Quick list
Best overall
The Titleist Players Flex is the best golf glove overall, striking the ultimate balance of good looks and comfort. On full swings, it provided great feel and control on the club.
Best budget
The Callaway Dawn Patrol is a well-made glove for the price. It might not last forever, but at $12, it’s an affordable glove from one of the world’s leading brands.
Most durable
The FootJoy StaSof is designed to last. As well as thoughtful design details, the leather created a secure fit around our fingers, and the mesh lining had ample stretch.
Most stylish
We’re big fans of the TaylorMade Tour Preferred (TP) golf glove design. The Tour Preferred’s leather is ultra-soft to the touch, which translated to a luxurious grip around our clubs.
Best high-end
Consider this a go-to choice for serious golfers looking to play their best. We would use this glove in high-stakes rounds because of the superior feel and security.
Best for practice
Unlike the Titlelist Players, the FootJoy Weathersof is a great golf glove for practice. The glove is comfortable yet substantial, and the mesh across the knuckles improved comfort and breathability.
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Best premium Callaway glove
Callaway’s top glove says you mean business when stepping up to the first tee. We were immediately impressed with the quality look and great craftsmanship seen around all the stitching.
Best for sweaty hands
The TaylorMade Stratus Soft is a winner for any player with sweaty hands or who often finds themselves on humid courses. The top of the hand is made of breathable synthetic material.
Best cheap Titleist
Titleist’s entry-level model still provides many of the same great features of the brand’s higher-end gloves. The leather is soft yet durable, and there’s good attention to detail.
Best for the rain
FootJoy Rain Grip gloves are a necessity on rainy days. Made from suede, once wet the palms of our hands became tacky, making it easier to hold onto the club.
Best for small hands
Unlike other golf gloves on this list, the Under Armour Iso-Chill are available in an XXS size. We liked the look, but didn’t love the durability of these.
Best for beginners
Thanks to humidity-activated tackiness, the glove PXG Player’s Glove helped us to get a solid feel on the complete variety of swings. It won’t last forever but is a decent pick.
Best golf glove overall
The Titleist Players Flex is the best golf glove overall, striking the ultimate balance of good looks and comfort. When we first slipped this glove on, we couldn’t wait to hit the green. Netted satin panels across the back delivered top-notch comfort and mobility. The tanned cabretta leather was the most substantial we tested and the stitching held up swing after swing, lasting several rounds without damage.
The glove also rates high for style points, and the velcro closure operated easily and consistently. Because the leather seemed a bit thicker to us, we tended to take it off more for touchy shots around the green. But on full swings it provided great feel and control on the club without stretching out.
Beyond the great design that includes the iconic Titleist logo, we appreciate the smart look the glove provides. Titleist is among the most well-known golf brands, providing a full suite of golf balls, golf clubs, course attire and more.
Best golf glove for those on a budget
The Callaway Dawn Patrol is a well-made glove for the price. At $12, it’s among the most affordable gloves from one of the golf world’s leading brands. Callaway’s reputation for craftsmanship shows through, even in one of its least expensive products.
It has more of a “pro” feel than we’d expect in this price range. We like how it includes an elastic band in the cuff comparable to the one found in the tour-quality models, which offered a thin, light and secure fit when we wore it for an entire round.
While we appreciate the clean, all-white look of the glove, we’re a bit wary of how many more games it will last. The perforations throughout the inner portion of the glove are helpful for palm perspiration but can wear down the leather over time. That said, wearing the Callaway logo gives players — especially newer ones — a sense of confidence in their game.
Best golf glove for durability
Of all the best gloves on this list, the FootJoy StaSof is one of the options we’re most excited to add to our bag. Not only does the leather create a secure fit around our fingers, but the mesh lining the major knuckles offers ample stretch no matter how often we took it on and off.
Although this isn’t a true wet-weather glove, it held its tackiness in damp conditions. Sometimes too much exposure to sweat or humidity wears down a golf glove’s material, but the StafSof held strong. But what makes this golf glove particularly attractive is the attention to detail.
Elements like consistent zig-zag stitching, parallel perforations on the exterior side of the fingers and gold embroidered ring around the FootJoy logo elevate the design. At $24 it’s a higher-end offering from the brand but still a compelling alternative to the top-shelf gloves from TaylorMade, Callaway and Titlelist. Plus it’ll nicely complement a pair of FootJoy golf shoes.
Best golf glove for style
We’re big fans of the TaylorMade Tour Preferred (TP) golf glove design. TaylorMade has a huge roster of pro golfers wearing and using its equipment, making the brand’s products a popular choice among weekend warriors.
The Tour Preferred’s leather is ultra-soft to the touch, which translated to a luxurious grip around our clubs. The glove gave us great feedback on all our shots, short and long.
The classy look makes this the one glove we might even wear in the clubhouse. But we felt the style came at the price of flexibility. The glove had a tight fit with little give, which could damage its durability when frequently taking it on and off.
We wish it had a bit more stretch, especially around the knuckles. That said, the larger gaps for air between the fingers make up for the glove’s overall breathability, and the velcro closure is best-in-class.
Best high-end golf glove
The Titleist Players golf glove is a top-choice on all major PGA tours, and is notably worn by Fedex Cup champion Patrick Cantley. In other words, consider this a go-to choice for serious golfers looking to play their best.
We would use this glove in high-stakes rounds because of the superior feel and security. The cabretta leather is soft to the touch and quality Velcro keeps the glove snug. The one shortfall of the Titleist Players golf is that we wouldn’t consider it a good glove for beginner players, or a good glove for practice.
With its thin leather, it’s what golfer’s call a “feel” glove, which means it can be used to pick up on nuances while swinging with certain clubs or when taking specialty shots. As a result, this glove might not last many rounds, but the rounds you do play will be premium.
Best golf glove for practice
Unlike the Titlelist Players, the FootJoy Weathersof is a great golf glove for practice.
Though it comes at a low price, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of good features that make this a great value. FootJoy claims its exclusive FiberSof provides a combination of soft feel and secure grip, and we agree with them. The glove is comfortable yet substantial, and the mesh across the knuckles improved comfort and breathability.
The FootJoy WeatherSof has added leather in the palm and thumb of the glove. This helped keep the slippage to a minimum, even after the glove got wet. The extra material also means this glove will hold up even in extended sessions at the driving range while protecting your hands from calluses.
In addition to white, the WeatherSof comes in all black giving you multiple style options, because there’s nothing wrong with looking good for practice. And if you want to talk about value, this one of the few golf gloves that are sold in two-packs at a lower cost per glove.
Best premium Callaway golf glove
Callaway’s top glove says you mean business when stepping up to the first tee. We were immediately impressed with the quality look and great craftsmanship seen around all the stiching. The premium cabretta leather felt exceptionally smooth to the touch, and the added elastic on the cuff creates a sophisticated fit.
The fantastic grip made us realize why this glove is a top choice on tour. Callaway touts its own “Griptac technology” and we noticed the added tackiness when we handled the club. The feedback through the swing and impact was among the most impressive we’ve seen from all the best golf gloves we tested.
We gave this glove extended play on the course, and it showed signs of long-lasting durability as impressive as any other Pro-level golf glove. Even when the glove turned damp, the grip strength felt satisfactory. The leather did not fray even in the stress points, and we could use this product for several rounds.
Best golf glove for sweaty hands
The TaylorMade Stratus Soft is a winner for any player with sweaty hands or who often finds themselves on humid courses. The top of the hand is made of a breathable synthetic material that provides a good amount of stretch as well as airflow.
The palm is made of fine leather and was the softest-feeling we tested. Out of the package it almost felt like they were too soft to play golf with. All the glove’s micro perforations kept my hand cool while playing, and I found no need to remove it for chips and pitches when I needed maximum feel.
The cuff and the velcro closure were secure and comfortable, too. Those perforations impact durability though. In our experience, small holes such as the ones found on the palm-side of the Status Soft are prone to wearing through after extended wear or facing particularly wet weather.
Still, this is a good golf glove if comfort and breathability are your top priority. Because sweaty hands shouldn’t get in the way of your game.
Best cheap Titleist golf glove
Titleist’s entry-level model still provides many of the same great features of the brand’s higher-end gloves. The leather of the Titleist Perma Soft golf glove is soft yet durable, and the attention to detail showed through with the quality stitching and smart seam placement.
This glove also earned high marks for durability, showing almost no signs of wear even after an extended driving range session. The reason we don’t rank this glove higher is the price. For a few dollars more we recommend you upgrade to the Titleist Players Flex or spend less on the Callaway Dawn Patrol.
That said, you won’t be disappointed in the performance of Permasoft. The mesh panel helps the glove adjust to fit perfectly on our knuckles while the velcro closure provides optimal security.
Best golf gloves for playing in the rain
The best golf gloves for rain aren’t the easiest to test because, well, it means going out in the rain. The starter in the clubhouse shook his head at us when we went out in a steady drizzle to play nine holes. But the weather can be unpredictable, and some players don’t mind wet weather. In that case, the FootJoy Rain Grip gloves are a necessity.
The gloves go on very comfortably, though the suede is a totally different feel than leather. Once they started to get wet there was an “aha” moment — the palms of my hands became tacky when activated by moisture. The moment of truth, taking a full swing, was a success.
While playing in the rain provided other challenges, at least holding on to the club wasn’t one of them. We still needed a towel to wipe away extra moisture, but when damp, we could swing with complete control.
As a thoughtful touch the FootJoy Rain Grip gloves feature a sewn-in tee holder on the wrist, as well as snap-on ball markers. Placing your wet gloved hand in your pocket is not easy while looking for a tee or a coin while you play.
Best golf gloves for smaller hands
The Under Armour Iso-Chill golf gloves aren’t made by a brand typically associated with golf, but if you’re a fan of the Under Armour’s sports attire you’ll appreciate the athletic look of these gloves.
In fact, for practice or as a back-up glove we would happily keep this glove in our bag. There is extra mesh sewn into the back panel that makes the glove extra comfortable and the sharp Under Armour logo provides an element of style.
However, serious golfers will be disappointed in the lifespan of the Iso-chill glove. We were underwhelmed with the quality of the stitching compared to the craftsmanship of the premium brands.
While the fit was comfortable at the start, it quickly stretched out of form and became unreliable. But we did like the look enough to use in a pinch.
Best golf glove for beginners
The PXG Player’s Glove comes from a golf brand dedicated to making you a better player, especially if you’re still somewhat new to the game. Thanks to humidity-activated tackiness, the glove helped me get a solid feel on the complete variety of swings.
Even in some adverse weather conditions, the PXG Player’s Glove got me through several rounds, with the tackiness holding up well around my fingers. Plus, the perforations on the outside of the glove provided ample breathability.
After a couple of rounds, I noticed the material around the palm pad started to discolor and thin out. This isn’t uncommon for a player’s golf glove, but I enjoyed wearing it so much that I wish I could get a few more rounds before needing to replace mine.
Luckily, it’s a couple dollars less than other player’s performance gloves, so you can repurchase knowing you’re getting a good value.
Best patterned golf glove
Golf style is often seen as more sophisticated, yet understated. But the Skins Tour Edition Golf Glove makes a statement on the green with patterned fabric around the wrist and between the fingers.
I tested whiskey- and blackjack-themed gloves, letting me incorporate some of my other hobbies into my game. To that point, the gloves garnered the attention of the others in my foursome. With such a bold flair, I worried the Skins Tour Edition Golf Glove might prioritize form over function.
But to my surprise, the glove played quite well. I’m especially fond of the fit, which is highly flexible thanks to the panels of patterned fabric between the fingers. This isn’t a feature you find on most of the other best golf gloves, though I found it extremely comfortable.
I can’t say the wrist guard is as comfortable – the fabric tends to bunch up on the inside of my wrist. Also, the tackiness is just average, but the overall durability surpassed my expectations. I think if you were going to buy a golfer a new golf glove as a gift, a Skins glove with a pattern that represents their personality is a hole-in-one.
How to pick the best golf glove for you
In order to pick the best golf glove for you, you’ll need to consider your needs. The most important factor is sizing. Experienced golfers usually know their size, but beginners should start with a sizing chart found at most pro shops.
You can also use a digital sizing chart like the one on FootJoy’s website, though we’ve found sizes can vary brand-to-brand. All the models we tested come in a full range of sizes, including cadet specs with shorter finger lengths.
Also, consider the level of your play. Low handicappers usually appreciate the finer leather found in more expensive feel gloves, however those new to the game might be better served with a glove that’s more affordable yet durable. Similarly, a player who spends significant time on the driving range should look for a glove that won’t deteriorate after a few hundred swings.
Unless it's raining, playing with two gloves is not common. Wearing a golf glove on your non-dominant or lead hand is preferred. The importance of a secure grip with your top hand cannot be underestimated.
Lastly, the weather you usually play in can affect your golf glove choice. Wet conditions require a high level of tackiness, while hot and humid conditions call for a high level of breathability. There are even gloves designed for cold-weather play.
How we test the best golf gloves
There are three key factors we consider when testing the best glove gloves:
Comfort and fit
Serious golf players look for their golf gloves to conform quickly to their hand, as well as get on and off easily. Good ventilation and solid Velcro connection help a player forget they even have a glove on.
Durability
This is the hardest category to test because it requires a lot of ball striking. However, we understand it might be the most important to our readers who are looking for the best value, knowing that their purchase will last them a long time. We monitored how well they held up after multiple rounds and practice sessions, even after being put away while still damp from use.
Playability
What we look for in terms of playability are golf gloves made with the finest leather that provides great feedback to your hands, whether you hit it pure or a little funky. We expect to pay a little more for a glove with top quality leather, but it’s definitely worth it for lower handicap players. Beginners will benefit from lower priced options, but shouldn’t sacrifice a good fit and durability.
FAQs
Which hand should you wear a golf glove on?
Most golfers wear one glove on his or her non-dominant hand. So if you are right-handed, you'd wear the golf glove on your left hand to prevent blisters and enhance your grip while playing. Most golf gloves are available as a single glove, as most golfers don't tend to wear a glove on each hand. The exception is some rain or cold gloves, which often come in pairs as they're designed to combat the elements.
Do golf gloves actually make a difference?
A well-made golf glove will give players a stronger grip on the club while preventing blisters and calluses, making the game more enjoyable. If you find your hand getting sore after a round of golf, a glove might help make you more comfortable, while still allowing you to grip the club. If nothing else, the extra grip it provides could shave a couple of strokes off your round.
What golf gloves does Tiger Woods wear?
As Tiger Woods now has his own brand, called Sun Day Red (partnered with TaylorMade), the popular golfer is expected to use gloves from his own company in future events. Previously, he used Nike gloves (and other equipment), but the partnership between Woods and Nike has ended.
How do I know what sized golf glove I need?
If you've been shopping for one of the best golf gloves on the market, you'll probably have noticed that most golf gloves come in a number of different sizes. The easiest way to ensure you're getting the correct-sized glove is to measure your hand, both from the crease of your wrist to the top of your middle finger, as well as the circumference of your hand.
How should a golf glove fit?
A golf glove should be snug without being tight. You want to glove to function as a second skin without restricting motion. Going to tight will be uncomfortable and could shorten the lifespan of the glove due to excessive stretching. Too loose and the glove will shift while gripping the club, creating an unstable swing.
Should you get synthetic or Cabretta leather gloves?
Synthetic golf gloves are more affordable than Cabretta leather models, but they also don't last as long. Cabretta leather offers additional grip and breathability, making them a better choice if you're willing to spend the money. For beginner golfers, or those who only play occasionally, the synthetic models outlined above will do the job.
