Why Tiger Woods doesn’t use a glove while chipping (but does in the bunker)

INZAI, JAPAN - OCTOBER 27: Tiger Woods of the United States chips onto the 11th green during the final round of the Zozo Championship at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on October 27, 2019 in Inzai, Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

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Even the smallest of details about Tiger Woods’ game can be endlessly fascinating. Because he’s one of the greatest golfers to ever walk the earth, people like me look for genius in his every move. Which brings us nicely into this micro-topic: Tiger’s golf glove usage.

It’s just one of a number of little nuggets buried within this TaylorMade video. Tiger walks into a bunker and gives a quick explanation of when he does wear a glove, when he doesn’t, and his logic behind both.

1. Glove: Full Shots, Pitching, Bunkers

It’s pretty simple, really. On shots that require a bigger swing, Tiger puts the glove on. As he says in the video above:

“I want the traction and the speed,” Tiger says.

A glove is a pretty easy way to protect your hand from getting chewed up, and for giving yourself a little extra grip, which you’ll need when the club is moving faster.

2. No Glove: Chipping, Putting, Flop Shots

But Tiger doesn’t go glove-on all the way to the green: He forgoes the glove on chip shots, putts, and flop shots. He likes that little extra feel he gets with a glove-less connection to the golf club on those finesse shots. It’s a little interesting that he doesn’t use a glove on flop shots, despite it being a bigger, faster swing, but it’s still a finesse shot, so he’d rather opt for the extra feel.

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Luke Kerr-Dineen

Golf.com Contributor

Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Game Improvement Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees the brand’s game improvement content spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLF’s multimedia platforms.

An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South Carolina–Beaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.