How to Clean FootJoy Golf Gloves

A grimy, stiff golf glove is more than just an ugly accessory, it's a piece of equipment failing at its one job: helping you hold the club with confidence. Keeping your FootJoy glove clean isn’t just about looks - it’s about restoring the grip, feel, and performance you felt when it was new. This guide will walk you through the simple,-coach-approved steps to safely wash and dry your leather golf glove, extending its life and helping you play better golf.

Why Cleaning Your FootJoy Glove Matters

Most players toss a glove once it gets crusty, but a little care can double or even triple its lifespan. Treating your glove like the essential tool it is has real on-course benefits.

• Better Grip & Less Tension: The core purpose of a quality leather glove is to provide tackiness. When sweat짠d, body oils, and dirt cake onto the surface, they create a slick barrier. This forces you to grip the club tighter to keep it from slipping, which introduces tension into your arms, shoulders, and swing. A clean glove is a tacky glove, allowing you to maintain a light, pressure-free hold - a fundamental component of a free-flowing, powerful golf swing.
• Increased Durability: Salt from sweat and abrasive dirt particles are the enemies of fine Cabretta leather. They slowly break down the natural fibers, causing the leather to become brittle, stiff, and prone to cracking, especially around the palm and finger joints. Regularly cleaning these elements away preserves the leather's natural suppleness and strength.
• Superior Comfort and Feel: There's nothing quite like the feel of a new, soft golf glove. It conforms to your hand and acts like a second skin, providing a direct connection to the club. A crusty, stiff glove feels awkward and distracting. Cleaning restores that softness and makes playing more enjoyable.

What You'll Need: A Simple Glove Care Kit

You don't need any special machinery or expensive products. The best tools for the job are gentle household items that you probably already have.

• Cool or Lukewarm Water: Never, ever use hot water. Heat is the main culprit in shrinking and damaging leather, stripping its natural oils and making it brittle.
• A Mild Soap: The gentler, the better. Hand soap, gentle dish soap (like a small drop of Dawn), or even baby soap works perfectly. Avoid harsh detergents or laundry soaps, as they are far too aggressive for leather.
• A Soft, Clean Cloth: A microfiber towel or an old, soft t-shirt is ideal. You want something that won't scratch the leather's surface.
• Two Dry, Fluffy Towels: You'll use one for the initial pre-dry and one for the long air-drying process.

The Step-by-Step Guide: How to Properly Wash Your FootJoy Glove

Follow this process carefully. The goal is to clean effectively without over-saturating the leather or causing damage. Patience is your best friend here.

Step 1: Put the Glove On

This might seem counterintuitive, but it's the most important first step. Washing the glove while it's on your hand helps it maintain its natural shape and prevents it from contorting or shrinking. It also gives you a stable surface to work on and allows you to easily get into the crevices between the fingers, just as if you were preparing to hit a shot.

Step 2: The Initial Gentle Wipe-Down

Dampen your soft cloth with cool water and wring it out so it's not dripping wet. With the glove on your hand, gently wipe down the entire surface, from the cuff to the fingertips. The goal here is to remove the loose surface grime, dust, and any light sweat stains. Don't scrub, think of this as a pre-rinse to get the easy stuff off first.

Step 3: Lather Up (A Little Goes a Long Way)

Now, add just a *single, small drop* of your mild soap to the damp cloth. Work it in with your fingers until you create a very light, gentle lather. It's much better to use too little soap than too much. Excess soap is difficult to rinse out completely and can leave a stiff residue on the leather once it dries.

Step 4: The Focused Clean

Using the lightly soaped cloth, work on the dirtiest parts of the glove. This is typically the palm, the surface of the fingers, and any dark spots. Use gentle, circular motions to massage the grime out of the leather's pores. Treat the material with care. You are not scrubbing a pot, you are tenderly restoring a delicate piece of equipment. Be patient and let the soap and water do the work.

Step 5: The Rinse

Getting the soap out without waterlogging the glove is critical. You have two good options:

Method 1: The damp cloth rinse (Recommended). Get a second clean cloth (or thoroughly rinse your first one until it's soap-free). Dampen it with only cool, clean water. Repeatedly wipe down the entire glove, rinsing the cloth frequently, until all traces of soap are gone. This method gives you maximum control over the amount of water used.

Method 2: The quick faucet rinse. This is faster but requires more care. Hold your gloved hand under a *very light, trickling stream* of cool water. As the water runs over it, use your other hand to gently "squeegee" the soap and water down and off the glove. Do this for no more than 15-20 seconds. The goal is to rinse the surface, not to soak the entire glove to its core.

Step 6: The Immediate Pat-Dry

Immediately after rinsing, and while the glove is still on your hand, grab one of your dry, fluffy towels. Pat the entire surface of the glove dry. Then, make a tight fist a few times and squeeze. This action helps push excess water out of the leather, especially in the finger areas, without wringing or twisting the glove, which could damage it.

The Secret to Softness: How to Dry a Golf Glove Correctly

This is where most people ruin their gloves. How you dry the glove is just as important, if not more important, than how you wash it. The wrong drying method guarantees you a glove that feels like cardboard.

The "Don't You Dare" Rules of Drying

• NO Direct Heat: Putting your glove on a radiator, in a sunny windowsill, or using a hairdryer is a surefire way to destroy it. Heat zaps the moisture and natural oils from the leather too quickly, causing it to shrink and turn permanently brittle.
• NO Clothes Dryer: Never, under any circumstances, should your glove see the inside of a tumble dryer. The combination of heat and tumbling will leave you with a shriveled, unusable mess that's fit only for the trash can.

The Pro's Method for Air-Drying

1. Carefully take the glove off your hand. Lay it on your second clean, dry towel. Before leaving it, take a moment to smooth it out. Gently pull the fingers back to their full length and flatten the palm, helping it return to its original shape.
2. Find the right spot. Place the towel in a cool, dry room with good air circulation, but out of direct sunlight. A utility room or a spot on a kitchen counter overnight is perfect.
3. The Mid-Dry Check-In. This is the secret step most people miss. After a few hours, when the glove is no longer wet but still cool and damp to the touch, put it back on your hand for five minutes. Make a fist, flex your fingers, and move your hand around. This "re-training" reminds the leather fibers of the shape they're supposed to be in and is the best way to prevent stiffness.
4. The Final Dry. After the five-minute check-in, take the glove off again, smooth it out one last time on the towel, and let it air-dry completely. Depending on the humidity, this can take a total of 12 to 24 hours. Be patient. When it’s fully dry, it will feel soft, supple, and ready for your next round.

Final Thoughts

Washing your FootJoy golf glove is a simple habit that pays big dividends in performance, cost savings, and comfort. By sticking to this gentle cleaning and drying process, you stop treating your gloves as disposable and start maintaining them as the vital pieces of performance equipment they truly are.

Fine-tuning your equipment is a smart part of playing better golf, but taking the guesswork out of your on-course decisions and swing thoughts can be an even bigger leap. If you’re ever standing over a tricky greenside chip or feel uncertain about course strategy, getting a little Tour-level advice can make all the difference. For those moments when you need a clear, confident plan, we created Caddie AI to give you personalized guidance and answers in seconds, right on your phone.