Best Golf Gloves for Older Golfers
A golf glove is one of those bits of equipment you hardly notice when it is doing its job properly.
When it is not, you notice it on almost every shot.
A palm that has gone shiny.
Fingers that bunch up.
A fastening that keeps coming loose.
Or a glove that feels fine on the first tee but starts annoying you by the turn.
As the years go by, comfort can matter more than it once did.
If your fingers feel a little stiffer, your grip is not quite as strong, or you simply do not want to squeeze the club any harder than necessary, a glove that fits properly can help the club feel more secure.
You do not need anything particularly clever.
You need something comfortable, grippy and easy to forget about once the round starts.
Start with fit, not the brand
I would choose the fit before worrying about the logo.
A golf glove should feel snug across the palm and fingers without feeling tight.
There should not be lots of spare material at the fingertips.
You should also be able to make a fist and hold the club without the glove pulling awkwardly across the knuckles.
If you are between sizes, try both.
Golf glove sizing is one of those things where the label matters considerably less than what your hand is telling you.
Some golfers also find cadet sizing more comfortable.
Cadet gloves are made for hands with slightly shorter fingers and a broader palm.
That can be useful if a standard glove fits across the hand but always leaves too much material at the fingertips.
Make sure you buy the right hand
It catches people out surprisingly often.
A right-handed golfer normally wears the glove on the left hand.
A left-handed golfer normally wears it on the right hand.
Check the description before buying.
Nothing takes the shine off a new golf glove quite like discovering you have bought one for the wrong hand.
If your hands feel stiff or your grip is not as strong
This is where I would pay particular attention to flexibility and the fastening.
A glove should help the club feel secure.
It should not make your hand work harder.
If your fingers are stiff, or gripping the club firmly is becoming less comfortable, look for:
- soft material across the palm
- some stretch around the knuckles
- a fastening that is easy to pull and secure
- no thick seams pressing into the fingers
- enough grip that you do not feel the need to squeeze harder
I would also avoid buying several gloves until you know the fit works.
One comfortable glove is more useful than three bargains sitting in a drawer because none of them quite feels right.
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A good everyday glove: FootJoy WeatherSof
The FootJoy WeatherSof is where I would start for a straightforward everyday golf glove.
It is the sort of glove that suits regular golf without asking you to spend premium-leather money every time the old one wears out.
Who it suits: golfers who want a dependable everyday glove for regular rounds.
Why I like it: it gives a useful balance of comfort, flexibility and durability without making things complicated.
What to bear in mind: it will not feel quite as soft as a premium leather glove. If feel is the thing you care about most, the StaSof may suit you better.
If you prefer a softer glove: FootJoy StaSof
Some golfers simply prefer the feel of leather.
The FootJoy StaSof is the sort of glove I would look at if softness and feel mattered more than getting the longest possible life from it.
A good leather glove can almost disappear on the hand when the fit is right.
Who it suits: golfers who value a softer feel and are happy to spend a little more for it.
Why I like it: the thinner, softer feel can be particularly comfortable if you dislike stiff material around the fingers.
What to bear in mind: leather deserves a little more care. Put it away wet and crumpled often enough and it will eventually remind you what you paid for it.
If durability matters more: FootJoy GTXTREME
If you play regularly and tend to wear through gloves, the FootJoy GTXTREME is another option worth considering.
This is more about durability and secure grip than having the thinnest, softest feel possible.
Who it suits: regular golfers who want something practical and hard-wearing for ordinary weekly golf.
Why I like it: it makes sense for golfers who play often and want a glove they do not feel precious about.
What to bear in mind: if you love the thin feel of premium leather, this type of glove may feel a little more substantial in the hand.
Leather or synthetic?
There is no automatic winner.
Leather tends to feel softer and more natural.
Synthetic gloves usually offer better durability and can be easier to live with if you play regularly.
Many everyday gloves use a mixture of materials.
That can be a sensible middle ground.
You get some softness and flexibility without needing to replace the glove every few rounds.
I would not get too hung up on what the label says.
If the glove fits your hand, feels secure and stays comfortable for 18 holes, it is doing its job.
What about wet weather?
A normal golf glove can cope with a damp morning.
Proper rain is different.
Once a standard glove and club grip are properly wet, squeezing harder is rarely the answer.
If you regularly play through sustained rain, dedicated rain gloves can make more sense.
For an ordinary round where a shower is possible, I would rather carry one dry spare glove and keep it somewhere that actually stays dry.
That simple spare earns its place surprisingly quickly on a British golf course.
If wet rounds are a regular part of your golf, this may help:
Cold hands are a different problem
Cold hands need a slightly different answer.
Some golfers prefer proper winter golf gloves.
Others like to play in their normal glove and wear warm mitts between shots.
Both can work.
What I would not do is automatically buy a much thicker everyday glove and hope it solves everything.
If cold-weather golf is becoming part of the season, this goes into more detail:
A spare glove is worth carrying
I would normally carry one.
Not five.
One.
If the first glove gets damp, sweaty or uncomfortable, changing into a dry one can make the rest of the round much nicer.
Rotating between two gloves can also help them dry properly between rounds.
The important part is where you keep the spare.
A dry glove in a dry pocket is useful.
A spare that has spent three months crushed underneath a wet towel is mostly decoration.
Look at where your old glove wears out
An old glove can tell you something.
If the palm has simply gone shiny and tired after plenty of use, fair enough.
It has probably done its job.
But if every glove wears through in exactly the same spot very quickly, I would also look at how tightly you are holding the club and whether the grip itself is worn.
A golf glove should not have to compensate for a club grip that has become smooth and tired.
If you find yourself squeezing harder simply to feel secure, the glove may only be part of the problem.
Do not buy a glove that is too big
A loose glove can feel comfortable when you first put it on.
Once you start swinging, the extra material moves around.
The palm creases.
The fingertips bunch.
And suddenly the glove you bought for comfort is giving you something else to think about.
Snug is good.
Painfully tight is not.
There is a difference.
Give stiff fingers room to move
If your hands tend to feel stiff, pay attention to the material across the knuckles.
A little stretch there can make the glove feel much less restrictive.
Put it on.
Open and close the hand a few times.
Hold a club.
If it already feels awkward before you have hit a shot, I would not expect it to become wonderful by the fifteenth.
Looking after a golf glove is simple
There is no complicated routine.
After the round, take it out of the bag.
Let it dry naturally.
Try to keep its shape rather than screwing it into a ball.
Do not leave it sitting wet underneath a towel.
That is about it.
If you rotate two gloves, both may last longer simply because they get a proper chance to dry.
What I would choose
If I wanted a sensible everyday glove, I would start with the WeatherSof.
If softness and feel mattered most, I would look at the StaSof.
If I played frequently and wanted something focused more on durability, I would consider the GTXTREME.
But I would still put fit ahead of all three.
An expensive glove that does not fit properly is worse value than a cheaper one that disappears on your hand once you start playing.
A simple buying rule
Before buying another golf glove, ask yourself:
- Does it fit snugly without pinching?
- Is there spare material at the fingertips?
- Can I open and close my hand comfortably?
- Is the fastening easy for me to use?
- Does the palm feel secure on the club?
- Would a cadet size fit my hand better?
- Do I need an everyday glove, rain gloves or something warmer?
- Have I definitely ordered the correct hand?
That last one is more useful than it sounds.
Final thought
A golf glove is a small purchase.
But you use it on nearly every full shot you hit.
That makes comfort worth getting right.
You do not need the glove a tour professional wears.
You need one that fits your hand, gives you enough grip without making you squeeze harder and stays comfortable from the first tee to the last.
If that turns out to be a simple everyday glove, fine.
If you prefer softer leather, fine.
The best glove is the one you stop thinking about once the round begins.
If you'd like a useful golf thought to take into the weekend, my free Friday email might be worth a look.
Every Friday I share one thought to help make your next round a little easier or more enjoyable.
See you out there,
Andrew