How Long do Golf Gloves Last? (Answered In Detail!)

There’s nothing better than hitting the golf course on a sunny day and having a friendly competition with your friends or colleagues.

Still, to fully enjoy the sport and keep your game at an optimal level, you’ll need your equipment to be in tip-top shape.

This is especially true for golf gloves. If you don’t take proper care of your gloves they’ll keep wearing out and you’ll have to buy new ones fairly often.

As golf is a game that, in general, is not easy on the budget, this will only further increase your expenses.

Therefore, learning how long do golf gloves last and how to take care of them and prolong their lifespan is important for both your enjoyment in the game and the state of your finances.

How Long do Golf Gloves Last?

With the normal level of use and basic care and maintenance, you can expect your gloves to serve you for 6-12 rounds on average, even though some golfers prefer to use new ones after 35-50 holes.

After this period, it’s best to replace your gloves to maintain optimal grip and keep your game at a high level.

So, in general, if you play golf once a week, you will likely go through 5-8 gloves during a year.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should get rid of the old ones, as they can still be fairly effective, especially at the driving range.

Wearing older gloves for practice will help you prolong the lifespan of your game gloves.

What Influences the Life Span of Golf Gloves?

Golf glove and golf ball lie on the green.

How long your golf gloves will last depends on several factors, so their lifespan can vary.

Gloves will wear out faster or slower depending on their quality and the material they’re made of, the conditions you play in, the type of grip on the club, and how well you take care of them.

Below are the main factors that influence how long your golf gloves will last.

Glove Quality and Material

There’s a wide range of different gloves available on the market both in terms of price and quality.

Cheaper gloves are commonly made of inferior materials which result in inferior grip and a subpar feel even when they’re right out of the store.

However, as these materials are often fairly thick, those gloves can often offer the same longevity as the more expensive ones.

There are three main types of gloves based on the material they’re made of.

Leather Gloves

[amazon box=”B019O8AS3W”]

Leather gloves provide the best feel but usually wear out fairly quickly.

Synthetic gloves

[amazon box=”B07KWSTVMX”]

Synthetic gloves are cheaper and more durable, but the feel and comfort are, in most cases, nowhere near what the leather provides.

Hybrid gloves

[amazon box=”B084GV7F4M”]

Hybrid gloves are made of a combination of leather and synthetics and offer a decent feel and grip while being rather durable and suitable for all weather conditions.

Playing Conditions

The weather conditions during a game of golf will have a significant impact on the durability of your gloves.

Some types of weather will, logically, contribute to the wear and tear of your gloves and shorten their lifespan.

If you play in the hot weather, you will likely sweat more which will affect the durability of your gloves and make them last shorter than if you were playing in moderate or cold weather.

Moisture generally has plenty of impact on the gloves’ durability, so they will wear out faster in wet climates and quickly lose their grip quality.

Of course, playing in the rain will not only make gloves slippery but also greatly influence their durability, especially if you don’t dry them properly after a game of golf.

How You Grip Your Golf Club

The way you grip your club is rarely mentioned as a reason for the shorter life span of golf gloves but it is indeed one of the most significant factors.

Each golfer has their own personal style of grip and some of them will impact the glove’s durability more.

As you would expect, a tighter grip, with more power will create more friction between the glove and the club, making the glove wear out faster.

Also, having the end of the grip too deep in your hand will force the end of the grip to dig deep into the left-hand pad making the grip less secure.

Without a secure grip, the club will move more, rubbing against the glove and causing wear.

Caring for the Gloves

To extend the longevity of your golf gloves, proper care is a must. This means that you shouldn’t just toss the glove in the bag once you take it off your hand.

The glove should be first given enough time to air and dry out. Putting a wet glove straight into the bag will certainly shorten its life span.

In addition, it’s always a good idea to keep the original glove packaging, as it can be used to stash the glove in its original shape which will help it last longer.

Furthermore, as gloves can get a lot of sweat on them when playing on hot days or get moist in wet conditions, you should always use several gloves during a single golf outing,

This way, you can rotate gloves during the round and make sure you always play in dry gloves while the others are airing on the bag.

Conclusion

Even though they’re often overlooked and taken for granted, gloves are an essential part of golf equipment.

A good grip is the key to optimal performance in golf and gripping the club properly is not possible unless the gloves are in good condition.

Plus, a pristine glove creates a thin barrier between the handle of the club and hand skin, preventing soreness and blisters during a round.

However, every golf glove, regardless of quality or price, has a limited life span, so you’ll have to replace them with new ones fairly frequently.

Still, understanding the factors that impact the gloves’ durability and learning how to properly care for them, will make them last longer and, in the process, save you some money.

John Miller
John Miller

Hello, I’m John, a 58 year old passionate golf player and the owner of this website. I hope my article could help to answer your questions.

Mike Adams Golf
Logo