Our 2015 Most Wanted Premium Golf Glove Buyer’s Guide consists of gloves with a retail price of $19 and above. When we looked at the totality of the gloves submitted for testing, we found that $19 is the point where tour-quality gloves begin to distinguish themselves from the field.
The gloves in this list are ideal for the golfer looking for the perfect fit coupled with amazing feel. Given that emphasis on feel…what you might call the connection with the club, our expectation is that the gloves on this list will be less durable and often less breathable than the majority of their more inexpensive counterparts.
To sum it up in a single word, our premium gloves are for golfers who want one thing from their glove: performance.
2015 Premium Golf Gloves Tested
Golf Glove Features
How We Tested
To determine Golf’s Most Wanted! Glove, we scored the following categories: Fit, Feel, Comfort, Grip, Breathability, and, Perceived Durability.
Test Parameters
Gloves were put through a normal usage scenario at the driving range in controlled set of test conditions.
Golfers completed individual testing in a single session to help ensure consistent temperature and humidity.
If testers hands became too sweaty, they were allowed to cool down/dry off before proceeding to test another glove.
Each tester only used one club/grip for the entire test. Grips included corded, rubber, and grips with more than a full season of play.
Fit:
Does the glove fit true to size, slightly big, or slightly small. Any inconsistencies in sizing – with a single finger and/or the palm were noted and scored.
Feel:
Graded for how connected glove allowed a player to feel to their club/grip. Generally, thinner gloves scored better.
Comfort:
Anything worth noting where comfort is concerned, e.g. overly thick or abrasive seams, extremely tight fit in one finger.
Grip:
Does the glove allow for proper pressure, or does the player feel the need to grip tighter for any reason? Is there a comparative loss of grip?
Breathability:
When the time comes, does the player feel a glove promotes airflow, keeping things cooler and drier for longer?
Perceived Durability:
Is there anything at all that leads the player to believe a given glove might last longer, or conversely, fall apart/wear out sooner than the rest of the gloves.
Results: Most Wanted Glove
Winner:
TaylorMade Tour Preferred
Runner-Up:
FootJoy Pure Touch
Runner-Up – Most Breathable
Nike Dri-Fit Tech II JF
The Rest of The List
A Final Word of Advice
Don’t buy a new glove without considering the following:
You’re probably wearing a glove that’s too big.
Before you start shopping golf gloves, double check your sizing. A new glove should fit “like a glove….”. It make sense, but most golfers don’t know what that means.
The two biggest signs your glove doesn’t fit right:
- Check the Velcro closure. If you need to pull the Velcro fastener past the edge to secure the glove when it’s new, you need to go a size smaller.
- Bagginess in the palm when your hand is open. If the palm is loose, go a size smaller.
Fit is everything, and even more so with a premium glove.
flaglfr
9 years ago
All,
Never thought I would say this but I believe something is awry in this test. I have used many gloves in the many years that I have been playing this crazy game. The ONLY glove that I have been able to use for extended time periods is the Hirzl. It is truly a superior glove. If the entire glove were made of ostrich, It would be the best glove on the planet!
GolfSpy Tim
9 years ago
We welcome any and all suggestions on where you can see that this review could be improved in the future.
Do you have any definable points where you feel the Hirzl becomes the only glove other golfers could wear for extended periods of time? (we’ve seen lots of golfers over the years wear lots of gloves for extended periods of time without issue)?