Editor’s picks: Is this the greatest golf invention of all time?

If you have made it this far, to the wonderful pages of golf dot com, you don’t need me to tell you much about the incredible technology that is ubiquitous in the golf world. We have driver heads designed like racecars. Rocket scientists working to streamline golf ball-clubface interaction. Shafts that can withstand Bryson-sized swing speeds.

But when I got assigned this story I was gearing up for a round of November golf in Seattle, which meant I was packing an extra layer, waterproof pants, a rain jacket and — most importantly of all — a pair of rain gloves.

I would deploy something like “these ain’t your father’s rain gloves,” but I’m not even sure your father had rain gloves. I’d imagine that golf in the rain used to be pure misery. No waterproof materials, no Gore-Tex anything, and you’d be constantly worried about throwing the club in your followthrough. No thanks!

That’s why I’m convinced that rain gloves are golf’s single biggest gamechanger. Typical golf gloves are especially slippery when wet, but a good pair of rain gloves don’t even work properly until they have a little water on ’em. Sometimes I feel like I’m gripping it even better when I have rain gloves on than with your run-of-the mill dry-weather mitt.

I have a few beginner golf friends who didn’t own any rain gloves until we played together in some bad weather and I bullied them into purchasing a pair. I get it — do you really need another pair of gloves? But if it’s going to be wet out, you could have the best golf ball on the market, the greatest set of custom-fit irons and the biggest-hitting driver money can buy and you’d be desperately wishing you’d spend $23 on a pair of rain gloves.

FootJoy RainGrip Pair

These FootJoy gloves are a must-buy for every golfer who might encounter rain on the course — which means every golfer, period.

$23 from go.skimresources.com

The news just gets better: For my entire life, there was some unwritten rule that all rain gloves had to be black. But now? The pair of RainGrips I snagged from FootJoy earlier this year are white and grey. They look pretty similar to my typical glove. That means it’s easier to toss ’em on when it gets wet and it’s no big deal.

What else to say about these RainGrips? They make rainy days into legitimate golf days. They remove any possible doubt of a wet club slipping. They’re sleeker and more attractive than they ever were before. And they are very literally the most important thing I bring to an offseason round of golf in Washington.

In summary, a reliable pair of rain gloves are an absolute must-stash for every golfer who might encounter a little rain on the course. And that means every golfer. Golf is an outdoor sport, after all.

Here are several more top-notch gloves you can find in GOLF’s Pro Shop: