Golf gloves might be the least expensive item in your golfing arsenal but that doesn’t mean you should buy a new one whenever a pair looks a little worse for wear, that $9-$30 quickly adds up. There are many things you can do to not only double or even triple the lifespan of your gloves, but also to clean your dirty golf gloves so they come out looking new.
Store your gloves in a ziplock bag, and after every shot take off your gloves to air them out to reduce moisture. Don’t wear white gloves as they pick up dirt easily and do not use gloves to clean your ball or a club. Wash your gloves with water and a towel or in a washing machine set to cold.
I will explain first how to keep your gloves fresh on the course and what you shouldn’t do to get them dirty, and what you can do to wash your gloves at home.
After all, do you want to spend money to buy gloves only to throw away shortly after? I know i don’t.
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How To Take Care Of A Golf Glove
Keep gloves dry by rotating between two gloves. Lay your glove flat when not in use, so the leather dries evenly. Do not use a glove to clean a ball or club, avoid white gloves as they pick up dirt easier, and store your gloves in ziplock bags. Improve your grip to reduce wear on gloves.
I will explain everything in more detail so you can know what to do on the course to increase the longevity of your gloves
7 Ways To Take Care Of A Golf Glove
1.Rotate Two Pairs Of Gloves Or Take Them Off After Every Shot
Imagine the sweat and grime that would develop if you wore a leather glove in a hot and humid place like Florida after three long hours walking up and down a golf course! Even if your not in a hot place taking off your glove is a fantastic habit to develop to prevent this horrible build-up of grime and bacteria as your glove sucks up moisture and oil from your hand like a sponge.
Golf gloves go bad because of excess moisture build-up, so anything you can do to air not only your glove but also the skin of your hand is a good thing. You might notice how pros take off their glove after every shot they do this to air the gloves to be less sweaty but also to let the skin breathe which prevents skin conditions.
After you hit every shot, either have two pairs of gloves that you rotate so one dries whilst you use another or just take off your glove until your next tee shot.
Not only will this improve your putting and chipping as you will have a better mind-muscle connection with your club, and you’re less likely to slip because your hands and gloves have aired, it also will make your gloves last twice as long & your skin will thank you!
2.Lay Your Gloves Straight & Flat When Not in To Dry Evenly
Have you ever tried to dry a towel by having it all crumpled up? Even if your following tip 1 and always take your glove off in-between shots if you crumple them up and put them in your pocket or golf bag they will not dry evenly or dry at all.
Ensure you lay them straight nice and flat and put them in a ziplock bag to reduce air exposure and then put them in your golf bag, leather is animal skin so it is designed to let in air and posture so a bag stops this from happening to make your gloves last longer.
3.Do Not Use A Glove To Clean Balls Or Clubs!
This one is obvious but I can guarantee you have seen people clean clubs or golf balls with a golf glove. In doing so you are sharply reducing the life of your gloves by making them dirtier; we don’t want that. Instead, use water and keep a soft-bristle brush small towel in your golf bag
Gently clean the dirty golf clubs or balls with the soft-bristle brush and dry dab the excess moisture with a small towel.
However, what’s even worse than using your golf glove to clean balls or clubs? Using the glove to wipe perspiration from your forehand, face or arms!
The only thing worse than too much moisture for any leather product is salt, as salt from your sweat dehydrates the weather which is like steroids for breaking down gloves. It’s similar to how leather boots start to peel after exposure to ice that is treated with road salt.
You can pack another small towel to wipe down your sweat in-between rounds keeping your gloves safe as they are not designed to be swimming in sweat.
Clean your glove using a soft cloth dampened with clean water. Do not overly wet the glove. Lay it out flat to dry, but not in direct sunlight or near a heat source. Put the glove on soon after it dries to stretch it into shape.
4.Practice With Old Gloves & Play With Newer Gloves
There’s no reason to always use the same glove in everything you do, this will only decrease how long it lasts.
When you are at the driving range or practicing at home, wear your old gloves or cheaper yet still good quality gloves like the FootJoy Men’s WeatherSof glove and save your premium gloves such as these Callaway gloves from Amazon for the golf course.
When buying a pack of four gloves such as these KIRKLAND gloves that are comparable with the more expensive brands, always rotate each glove instead of wearing out one to make them last longer.
To see how to maximise your time on the driving range so you can improve that much faster check out my article.
5. Check Your Gloves Wear Marks
Notice how your glove is wearing out, if it’s wearing out at the fat part of the palm below the pinky finger you are likely gripping the club wrong and too tight causing the glove to wear out faster.
You likely have issues with your golf grip and/or the size of your handles. It’s the same issue if you’re wearing out the thumb or index finger areas. Your grip should wear out evenly across the fingers thumb and pad of the palm, if you get hand blisters golfing this is another tell-tale sign.
You should hold the golf club like your holding a bird, not too hard as you will injure the bird but not too soft that the bird can fly away. Please watch the fantastic GolfwithAimee YouTube above for a secret golf grip tip to not only make your gloves last longer but also to improve your game!
6. Avoid Using White Gloves
Whilst white are made from a thinner leather than darker colours to help improve connection with the club they pick up dirt easily. Sticker to darker colours such as blue will artificially make your glove look a lot cleaner.
You can get a pair of high-quality Zero friction compression gloves from Amazon that are availably in a variety of different colors
7. Store Your Gloves In A Ziplock Bag Or Glove Holder Case
If you store your gloves in a ziplock bag this reduces the air exposure to the leather keeping them nice and fresh even in hot and humid conditions.
However, I recommend something a little more stylish the Stripebird gloves holder case from Amazon offers easy access to your gloves at all times without wasting time looking around your golf bag flying to find them. It is made with a high-quality mesh material with helps help your gloves and crumpling up. There’s also additional storage to store valuables such as keys or a smartphone.
Whether you choose the stripebird glove holder or a ziplock bag, your gloves will last twice as long.
How To Clean Golf Gloves
Whilst wearing the glove, use water and a towel, slightly wet the glove and clean the dirt with the towel. Lay it out flat to dry away from direct sunlight or heat. After it dries put the glove on so it retains its shape.
How To Wash Golf Gloves
Only wash golf gloves when they are noticeably dirty as continuous washing wears out the leather. Use water and mild detergent and whilst wearing the glove gently wash the glove with a towel until all surface dirt and perspiration is removed.
The sooner you wash gloves after a game of golf the better, if you have Cabretta leather golf gloves this leather is very delicate so only wash if it is noticeably dirty.
Rinse the glove off in cold water, this is to remove any dirt on the surface of the glove and to get the leather wet. Then, fill a bucket with cold water and 2 tablespoons of mild dish detergent and stir the bucket to create a mix of detergent and water creating soapy suds; that’s what we want! Place the glove in the water and twirl it around.
Wash the harsher stains by wearing the wet glove and lightly scrubbing the leather with a hand towel pre-soaked in soapy water. Then rinse the glove in clean cold water to remove the soap
How To Dry A Golf Glove
Only air dry golf gloves, never use a dryer as the heat will damage the leather. Lie them straight and flat outside of direct heat or sunlight, it may take 24 hours for the gloves to fully dry. After it’s dry put the gloves on to stretch the leather
After the glove is cleaned air dry the leather for around 3 hours, then put the glove back on whilst wet to stretch the leather to prevent it from shrinking.
Then hang the glove to air dry for around 12 hours, if you see the leather drying use a leather conditioner. This helps clean your leather healthy nourished and strong and protect your gloves from impurities such as mud, dirt, and more.
Can You Wash Golf Gloves In The Washing Machine?
Set your washer to a cold delicate cycle, and secure the gloves velcro before putting it in the washer. Never use bleach when washing a leather glove and separate white gloves from darker colours
I wouldn’t recommend washing golf gloves in the washing machine as if your not careful you could ruin the glove, hand-washing is the more delicate solution.
Want to have a club fitting but not sure what you should bring? Check out the 9 must-haves you cannot forget in my article.
When Should You Replace A Golf Glove?
Replace a golf glove if it has any visible damage like holes or tears, if it’s shrunk so it’s too small and it doesn’t fit or if the leather has absorbed so much water it has become crispy. If after cleaning the glove, the dirt still doesn’t come off it can be replaced.
Doing all the tips I mentioned in this article will keep your gloves fresh longer than ever, but no matter how matter what you do in the end they need to be replaced.
If your gloves are super dirt and no matter what you do the dirt is not coming off then you should replace them. Our hands sweat a lot especially when playing golf so overtime this moisture will discolour the glove.
Secondly if your glove is crispy, if its absorbed so much moisture that it’s hardened it will not fit well, if you have to put on your glove with force you should buy a new one. It should fit nice and snug.
Overtime gloves will shrink, especially if you use a washing machine but when it becomes so small it doesn’t fit then, of course, it needs replacement. Golfers wear gloves for grip and to prevent blisters if your glove is too small this will cause damage over time to your hand and won’t help your grip.
If you play a lot of golf and play in a variety of different leather conditions like rain or snow, then it’s important to regularly change your golf gloves. It is always good to have a spare or two in your bag or locker at all times. To see what else you should have in your golf locker at all times see my article.
Lastly, if you ever see visible damage like holes or tears on your glove, they should be repaired as even the greatest cleaning lady in the world won’t clean a hole. But that doesn’t mean you should throw them away. Check my post on how to recycle golf gloves.