Glove love: 5 tips to make your golf glove last longer

How long does your golf glove last? Does it hold up maybe 4-5 rounds? More? Less? If you find your glove isn’t lasting as long as you’d like it to, here are a few tips I’ve picked up for helping keep your golf glove in tip-top shape:

Tip 1: Hit balls with your older mitt.

There’s really no reason to hit balls with the same glove you play with since you’ll exponentially decrease it’s longevity. This is especially true if you have sweaty paws. Instead, wear your old glove (or a cheaper, less expensive glove) while you practice and save your gamers for the golf course.

Tip 2: Store your glove properly.

Between rounds, if my glove is clean and dry, I store my glove(s) in a sealed Ziploc bag. I also lay it flat, mimicking the original packaging shape. You don’t want to throw your glove in your bag in a wad or with things like pencils, divot tools and tees that can puncture it. If it’s wet, make sure it’s dry before you pack it away.

Tip 3: Take off your glove between shots.

Wearing a glove as you walk or ride from shot to shot makes no sense at all. You may like the way it looks and feels, but you’re not doing anything for your glove other than leaking oil — literally. Your glove sucks up moisture and oil from your hand like a sponge, so try and take it off whenever you can.

Tip 4: Wash it.

A dirty, grimy, greasy, sweat-stained glove is likely deteriorating before your eyes. Grease/oil/salt/dirt wears away at the leather, causing it to rip or crack — especially after the moisture component has dried out. One way to avoid this is to wash your golf glove in the washing machine at home. You read that right. Throw it in with the rest of your laundry. With a gentle detergent, a bath in the spin cycle will help pull the oil out from your glove and have it looking and feeling like new. Just don’t put it in the dryer — let it air dry.

Tip 5: Check your wear marks

Sometimes it’s not the glove’s fault. If you’re glove is wearing out on the hypothenar region of the hand (the fat part of the palm below the pinky finger), it’s not your glove’s fault. You have some issues with your golf grip and/or the size of your handles. Same goes if you’re quickly wearing out the thumb or index finger areas. You might be gripping the club too hard. If anything, the grip should wear out evenly across the fingers, thumb, and pad of the palm.

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