Why Only One Golf Glove?

Ever notice how nearly every golfer wears just one glove, and not two? It’s one of those unspoken traditions in golf that seems a bit odd until you understand the simple, practical reasons behind it. This isn't just a quirky fashion statement, it's a strategic choice that directly impacts your grip, feel, and overall control of the golf club. We’ll break down exactly why one glove is the standard, which hand it goes on, and what the other hand is doing.

The “Lead Hand” is All About a Secure Connection

The primary reason for wearing a single golf glove comes down to the role of your lead hand - the hand that sits highest on the grip. For a right-handed golfer, this is your left hand. For a left-handed golfer, it’s your right hand.

Think of your lead hand as the anchor of your golf swing. It establishes your primary connection to the club and is responsible for guiding the clubface throughout the entire motion. During the swing, especially at speeds over 80 or 90 miles per hour, immense torque and friction are applied to this hand. Without a glove, two things can happen:

• The club can slip. Even the slightest moisture from sweat or humidity can cause your bare hand to lose its grip. When the club twists or slips at the top of your backswing or just before impact, consistency goes out the window. A glove, typically made from tacky leather or synthetic material, provides a reliable, non-slip surface that helps you maintain a secure hold from start to finish.
• Friction causes blisters and calluses. The repetitive motion of swinging a club creates significant rubbing between your hand and the grip. The glove acts as a protective barrier, preventing the raw, painful blisters that can sideline you from the game.

A good golf glove allows you to apply consistent grip pressure without tensing up and squeezing the club to death - a common mistake that ruins a fluid swing. It lets you hold the club securely but gently, which is a fundamental part of generating effortless power and control.

It's Your Swing's Steering Wheel

Your lead hand essentially "steers" the clubface. As we covered in our guide on holding the golf club, the position of this hand has an enormous influence on where the clubface is pointing at impact. If that hand’s connection to the club isn’t secure, it's virtually impossible to consistently control your ball flight. The glove gives you the confidence to swing freely, knowing that your primary connection to the golf club is solid and won’t fail you mid-swing.

By providing a firm, reliable connection, the glove ensures that the subtle movements of your hand accurately translate to the clubface, giving you better command over draws, fades, and straight shots.

The “Trail Hand” Provides Your Sense of Feel

So, if the lead hand gets a glove for grip, why leave the other one bare? This is where the trail hand comes in. For a right-handed golfer, this is your right hand. The trail hand plays a different, more nuanced role in the swing.

While the lead hand guides the club, the trail hand is largely responsible for generating power and, most importantly, providing feel. Your fingertips are packed with sensitive nerve endings, and keeping the trail hand bare enhances this tactile feedback. You can better sense the position of the clubhead, feel the release through impact, and make delicate adjustments on finesse shots.

This is precisely why you'll often see even professional golfers take their glove off for short-game shots like chipping, pitching, and especially putting. Around the greens, the big, powerful movements of a full swing are replaced by smaller, more precise motions where feel is everything.

• Putting: When you're standing over a putt, you need to feel the subtle connection with the putter to control your distance. A bare trail hand allows you to have a much more direct feel for the pace of the putt. Many players, like Tiger Woods, even take the glove completely off for every shot on and around the green.
• Chipping and Pitching: These shots require a delicate touch to control trajectory and spin. The direct skin-to-grip contact of your trail hand gives you a finer sense of how the club is interacting with the turf and the ball, helping you execute those tricky little shots.

Essentially, the combination of one gloved hand and one bare hand gives a golfer the best of both worlds: a secure connection with the lead hand and a sensitive touch with the trail hand.

Are There Exceptions? When Golfers Wear Two Gloves (or None)

Like most things in golf, wearing one glove is a strong recommendation, not a rule written in stone. You'll definitely see players who deviate from the norm, and they have good reasons for doing so.

Wearing Two Gloves

Some golfers choose to wear gloves on both hands. This is most common in a few specific situations:

• Wet Weather: When it's raining or extremely humid, maintaining a grip on the club is a challenge for both hands. Wearing a pair of specialized rain gloves, which often become tackier when wet, can provide a massive advantage and prevent the club from flying out of your hands.
• Cold Weather: In cold conditions, a pair of thicker, thermal golf gloves can keep your hands warm. Cold hands become stiff and lose feeling, making it difficult to swing properly. Wearing two gloves provides the necessary insulation to maintain control.
• Personal Preference: Some golfers, particularly those who are newer to the game or have sensitive skin, find that two gloves make them feel more secure and prevent blisters on their trail hand as well. There's nothing wrong with this if it gives you confidence! Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey is a great example of a professional who has successfully used two gloves throughout his career.

Wearing No Glove At All

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the players who opt for no glove at all. Perhaps the most famous example is Hall of Famer Fred Couples, who was known for his buttery-smooth swing and bare-handed approach.

For these golfers, the ultimate feel and direct connection to the club are more valuable than the added grip a glove provides. It requires having tough, callused hands and an exceptionally consistent grip pressure to pull off successfully. It's a matter of personal comfort and what gives a player the most confidence over the ball. For most amateurs, however, the benefits of wearing at least one glove far outweigh the reasons to go without one.

A Quick Guide: Which Hand Gets the Glove?

Let's make this as simple as possible. The rule is easy to remember: you wear the glove on your non-dominant hand. That's because it's your lead hand which comes first in the golf grip, and it's the only one "attached" to the golf club when you're holding it.

• If you are a right-handed golfer, play with a glove on your left hand.
• If you are a left-handed golfer, play with a glove on your right hand.

Choosing the Right Glove For You

Once you know which hand to put it on, there are just a few more things to consider to ensure you're getting the most out of it.

• Fit is Critical: A golf glove should fit like a second skin - snugly across the palm and fingers with no excess material at the fingertips. If it’s too loose, it’ll be uncomfortable and slip, defeating the purpose. If it's too tight, it'll restrict your hand's movement and wear out quickly.
• The Right Material: The two main types are leather and synthetic. Leather is premium and incredibly soft, providing superior feel, but it wears out more quickly. Synthetic gloves are more durable, often better in wet conditions, and typically less expensive. Many golfers opt for hybrids that combine both.
• Care for Your Glove: To make your glove last longer, avoid crumpling it up and stuffing it into your bag after your round. Lay it flat to air dry, or clip it to your golf bag. A little care goes a long way in maintaining its tackiness and preventing it from cracking.

Final Thoughts

Understanding these details is a big part of becoming a more confident golfer. Sometimes, it's the uncertainty over 'dumb questions' that holds you back. When you're out on the course and need answers to any question from course strategy to how to play a tricky lie, tools like Caddie can provide instant recommendations so you can make smart decisions and play with more confidence.