A Beginners’ Guide to Golf — the glove
May 8th, 2007 by Olaf Bound.sContinuing from the last installment of the series A Beginners’ Guide to Golf, let’s look a few things that you will need in order to start playing the game. As always as your pro will tell you is to get a pair of gloves. And there are a few for you to shop for! And please don’t borrow or nick somebody’s old gloves. For one, gloves come in sizes. And if you are a right handed person, you buy a left hand glove and vice versa for the left hander.
The golf glove is extremely important because it helps you better hold the club during the swing. And the only thing that will keep your club from falling out of your hands! And to relieve the pressure on the skin of your hand, it also provides added comfort and protection for the hand to avoid blisters! Believe me, you won’t like the feeling.
So how do you pick one? Price and brand are obvious factors to consider, but material choice and functionality should drive the selection process. Leather gloves provide a much better feel but be careful when playing in wet weather. Synthetic leather last a lot longer because they are more durable and resist moisture. Some hybrid models even combine synthetic and leather to improve performance. So its feel vs. durability.
**Very important to remember that an old, dried out glove goes out the window or in the waste basket. It is of no significant use, so replace it when you see that it looks like a worn out rag (smells even worse).
Almost all golf brands have their individual gloves to offer to the public, for a beginner I would suggest starting with the synthetic ones, some call it dura feel (hybrid) or all weather. All the major golf brands have them and please try to fine something based on your feel when you wear it and not what the price tags suggest.
There are also ways to protect your gloves from more wear and tear.
- Do not keep your gloves in your bag when wet and leave it there in a compartment space. Smells terrible! Also it wears out faster.
- Keep it hanging from your bag. Plenty of accessories in the market that looks like a hand in plastic! No it’s not to measure the size of your hand or an indication of your previous years as a good golfer. You fit the glove in it and hang it from your bag!
- Don’t leave it in your car! The heat will kill it!
- Get a grip! I mean get a good grip with advice from the local golf pro and also don’t strangle your golf club. It makes a hole in the glove.
- When not hitting a shot, do not pick your nose with your hand and glove! It’s disgusting!
Just a reminder, the only thing keeping the club from hitting your playing partner is your gloves. The ball will do the flying part of the game, not the club!