It’s not unusual to see club golfers putting with a glove on. Often, weekend golfers or beginners don’t bother to slip it into their back pocket because they don’t think it makes a difference whether it’s on or off. Some would rather not bother with the hassle of removing it when they’re on the greens, and there are those who appreciate the warmth that a glove can provide, especially when the fingertips go numb in the winter.
The vast majority of Tour players – and we’re probably talking 99.99% here – remove their glove whenever they use their putter. In fact, a lot of players will slip their Cabretta leather gloves off between shots in order to let the hand breathe and avoid it becoming too wet with sweat.
Even if the best golf gloves are more than capable of absorbing sweat and working effectively in warm conditions, for a lot of players, removing the golf glove is a comfort thing. For some, the act of putting the golf glove back on ahead of a shot will also signal ‘go time’ and the start of the pre shot routine.
On the putting surfaces, though, the glove, more often than not, gets slipped into a back pocket. The majority of Tour professionals and club golfers will take it off when putting because it allows for better feel. To putt with one on feels strange. After all, it’s there for grip when you’re swinging a club, which isn’t required when taking the putter back and through at far less speed than a driver.
Ask one of the best putters in the world, like a Cameron Smith, to putt with a glove on for one tournament, and it’s unlikely that the stats would be greatly affected. However, over the course of the season it might make a difference, especially from long range, when players rely a lot more on feeling the club in their hands to get the distance control spot on.
You might sometimes see the odd Tour player putting with a glove on. For some, the performance gains compared to putting with a glove off are minimal, perhaps even zero – so why bother to take it off just because most other players do?
Wear and tear is certainly a factor for club golfers. The best golf gloves might offer decent durability, but they don’t come cheap and if you play regularly, they will lose their shape and become less effective over time. After about 15 rounds, perhaps 20 max, you’re probably going to need to change it, so why put it on if you don’t need to?
Like so many other things in golf, it really comes down to personal preference. If you don’t find that it makes a difference as to whether you putt with a glove on, and it doesn’t have a negative impact on feel, then who are we to say it’s not the right thing to do?
For others, wearing a glove when putting just feels wrong, and if the vast majority of pros say the same, that’s more than a good enough reason to take it off.
