Ensuring your golf glove fits correctly is essential for giving you the best chance at performing well out on the course, or at the range.
While there are some players who don’t bother wearing a glove (PGA legend Freddie Couples is one high-profile example), the overwhelming majority do – and some even go a step farther and keep them on while putting.
A common question many golfers, especially beginners, have is: how tight should their golf glove be?
A golf glove should feel like a second skin. A perfect-fitting golf glove should have no excess, or loose, material around the palm of your hand or in your fingertips. If there is space in these areas, it means your glove is too big. Similarly, if you can’t close the Velcro strap, it means your glove is too small.
While golf glove fitting may seem like an insignificant thing to worry about, it’s definitely not.
To play good golf, and have the best possible control over your club during your swing, you need a glove that fits correctly – and not one that is restrictive, or sliding all over the place as you start your takeaway or downswing.
Keep reading, as in this article I’ll answer all the key questions about ensuring your golf glove is the right fit for you.
Table of contents
Should my golf glove be a loose or tight fit?
Your golf glove should fit snugly around your hand – it should be neither loose or tight. There should be enough room that you can comfortably form a fist with your hand without the Velcro strap popping open. Your fingertips should also reach right to the end of the glove’s finger holes, without any space left in between.
Often, golfers will make the mistake of having a glove that fits nicely across the palm and back of their hand, however has far too much room left in the end of the fingertips.
This is particularly common for people with wide hands, but short fingers.
A perfect fitting glove – one that is neither too loose, or too tight – should allow your fingers to reach right to the tips, with the Velcro strap leaving a quarter to half an inch of space when closed (rather than excessively overlapping).
How do I know if my golf glove is too big?
Key signs your golf glove is too big include: excessive space in the ends of the fingertips; loose material around the palm and back of the hand; and gross overlapping of the Velcro strap when closed. If your glove does any of these things, then it is too big.
If you checked the gloves of most golfers, there’s a fair chance you’ll find one of these factors at play.
Some people may like a looser feel with their glove, especially around the palm of their hand, but this is not optimal sizing and can cause the material to slide around during their swing.
It may not seem a big deal, but slight movements in your glove when swinging at 100mph – especially for high-level players – can be the difference between your clubhead being square, or slightly open/closed at impact.
How do I know if my golf glove is too small?
Key signs your golf glove is too small include: an inability to form a fist with your hand when your glove is done-up; an inability to close the Velcro strap; an inability to comfortably straighten your fingers; and the restriction of blood flow to your hand. Any of these factors can indicate a glove is too small.
A golf glove that is too small can be just as damaging, if not more damaging, to your game than a glove that is too big.
If your glove is too tight, it can lead to significant discomfort during your round and, in extreme cases, dull the senses in your hand – which you certainly don’t want when trying to pull off delicate, feel-based chips around the green.
Similarly, if your glove is excessively tight, it may even restrict your wrist hinge and make it difficult to bow your wrist at the top of your backswing.
What size should my golf glove be?
The size of your golf glove will be entirely dictated by the dimensions of your hand. Someone with narrow hands and long, slender fingers will be a completely different size to someone with wide hands and chunky fingers. What matters is that the glove, regardless of its size, fits like a second skin around your hand.
When it comes to selecting your golf glove, it’s important to remove any preconceived ideas you have about what size you might be.
Just because you have big hands doesn’t automatically mean you’ll fit into a Size Large golf glove – while your hands may be wide, your fingers may be short and leave too much space in the end of the fingertips of a Size Large glove.
Instead, you should try many different sizes of glove until you find one that fits snugly around your entire hand – with no loose material at the fingertips, or around the palm.
The glove that satisfies those criteria is the perfect size for you. Personally, I use the Srixon All Weather Golf Glove and would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a budget-friendly, yet quality option.
How do I make my golf glove fit better?
Wearing in a golf glove can make it fit slightly better, however not significantly. If your golf glove is too tight or too loose, the best option you have is to buy one in a different size that fits your hand better.
Your golf glove should be comfortable from the moment you first put it on, regardless of whether it’s made from leather (like the Srixon Cabretta Glove) or synthetic material.
While you can try to wear your glove in, you shouldn’t have to – the PGA Tour players replace their glove before every single round (some even during a round), meaning it’s not necessary to have to wear them in.
If you select a size that fits correctly, your glove should fit comfortably from your very first swing of your round, to the last.
Do golf gloves stretch over time?
Yes, golf gloves stretch over time. Most golf gloves are made from either leather or synthetic material, or a combination of both, meaning they will begin to lose their tautness the more times you use them. If your glove becomes excessively stretched, it’s best to replace it.
As mentioned earlier, PGA Tour players don’t use their gloves more than once – which is often why you see them give them to awaiting fans after a round.
Now, you and I likely don’t have the bottomless budget that heavily-sponsored professional players do, so it’s unreasonable to think we – and other weekend warriors – can replace our gloves after every round.
Usually, you can get away with using a glove anywhere from 10-15 times (sometimes longer) before it starts to deteriorate – some people will even wash them in order to try and prolong their life.
However, as soon as your glove starts to stretch and no longer fits your hand as it should, it’s time to replace it.
Persisting with a glove that is overly stretched or, even worse, has tears in it is not going to help you play great golf.
Final message
In summary, a perfect fitting golf glove should feel like a second skin around your hand.
There should be no excessive space left in your fingertips or around the palm and back of your hands, nor should it be so tight that it prevents you from forming a fist.
Your glove should be snug and comfortable, and neither move across your hand during your swing or restrict your movements in any way.
Find a golf glove that fits you well and you’ll be surprised how much it can improve your game and give you extra confidence on the course.
Lewis lives in the UK, with his partner and four kids. He helped rejuvenate ProjectGolfAU with one of his mates, Drew.
