To wear two gloves, or not to wear two gloves? That is the question. Since Aaron Rai pulled off a stunning win at the PGA Championship at Southampton’s, New York Shinnecock Hills in June while wearing a golf glove on both hands, whether to wear two gloves has become a hot topic. No PGA golfer had ever won a major wearing two gloves until Rai. While Rai said he grew up, and became accustomed to playing with two gloves because of how rainy and cold London can be, almost all tournaments have been won by golfers wearing just one golf glove.
PGA DOCTOR’S FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF TWO GLOVES
“Aaron Rai has been wearing two gloves since a young age, becoming part of his equipment routine,” said Cleveland Clinic PGA Doctor Michael Dakkak who works with golfers on the PGA Tour.
“The positives could provide better grip consistency, and less grip slippage by having an additional layer especially in humid conditions, or situations in which nerves can cause increased sweating from the palms. Furthermore, theoretically it could be better to force absorption and distribution of the stress that is placed through the palms and subsequently forearms.” According to Dakkak, “A proper fitting glove could reduce the risk of friction barrier skin injury, or callous formation. Some drawbacks of wearing a golf glove on each hand could be decreasing sensory input given an additional layer of equipment which could lead to overgripping,” said Dakkak.
PGA HALL OF FAMER DIVES INTO THE PHYSICS OF TWO GLOVES
“Golf is about adaptation to creating a faster club-head speed at impact, and reducing the margin of error, while keeping the ball in play,” said Bob Toski, PGA Hall of Fame golf teacher, and PGA Hall of Fame golfer. Toski, who was the leading PGA money winner on tour in 1954 has taught Jack Nicklaus, Judy Rankin and many of the greatest golfers of all time. “There’s physics to the swing which involves your brain sending messages to your hands, and your hands sending messages to your brain,” Toski said. “Golf is a game of feel, and you don’t want to interrupt the confluence of your brain and hands communicating as your eyes watch your hands alignment,” Toski is still sharing his genius golf tips, which include physics and the mental aspect of the game. Toski is considered a “professor” of the game of golf. “Golfing is mostly about feel and touch around the greens, approach shots, bunker shots, bump and run, and especially putting,” Toski said enthusiastically.
TALENTED TEEN GOLFER’S INTERESTING PREDICTION
Talented teen golfer Anthony Beteta is gaining national attention for his golf prowess, friendly, engaging personality, and his knowledge of the history of the game. Beteta is the only golfer interviewed for this story who said, “I wasn’t surprised that Rai won a major in historic fashion while wearing two golf gloves, and I felt he could win because he’s been on tour for awhile.” Rai made the tour at just 17-years-old, 14-years-ago. “That means Aaron has a lot of experience at his young age,” Beteta added. Beteta, who is an up-and-coming 15-year-old golfer at Laguna Niguel Santa Margarita Catholic High School in California, also competes in tournaments all over the country added that Rai won the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina not that long in 2024. “Now, I believe he has momentum to win even more on the PGA Tour,” according to Beteta.
LPGA PRO USES NO GLOVES
“I personally don’t wear a golf glove because I prefer the feel of the grip on my hands versus the added layer of a golf glove,” said LPGA Pro and golf teacher Faith Egli at Sweetbriar Legacy Golf Course in Avon Lake, Ohio. Elgi was the first head golf professional at a private club in Ohio named Congress Lakes which is tucked away in the scenic rolling hills of the Buckeye State’s Amish Country. Egli, who is in several golf hall of fame’s said, “Golf is a feel sport which means a player should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of feel versus traction and play whatever works best for them.” Most notably, Freddie Couples won the 1992 Masters and 15 PGA tournaments with no gloves. According to Egli, “A golf glove also helps with getting a better grip with worn and slippery grips. One possible advantage of wearing a glove on each hand is that two gloves could provide an even better connection between hands and club.”
PGA Pro Ciera Rhodes is also a highly regarded golf instructor at Sweetbriar Legacy Golf Course said, “Having one golf glove on your dominant hand (For example, a left-handed glove for a right-handed golfer) helps not only your body but your mind to help keep control of the club’s square clubface,” she said. “I have many students who get sweaty year round, so we have two gloves for them just in case, one for each hand.” Rhodes offers this advice. “When you’re switching from one glove to two gloves in the rain, or when humidity causes your hands to sweat, we talk about keeping pressure points in the fingers, and less on the palms which tend to take over.”
NATIONAL TV GOLF HOST: WILL TWO GLOVES CATCH ON?
“I don’t think the two glove thing will catch on,” said PGA Pro Jimmy Hanlin, who also hosts the national hit TV golf show ‘18 Holes With Natalie Gulbis.’ Hanlin also owns Little Mountain County Club in Northeast Ohio just south of the southernmost Great Lake of Lake Erie where he said, “Players like to have a lot of fuel even with full-on shots, plus iron shots, and many of them lose that with two gloves.” Hanlin added, “I used to play with a pro named Tommy ‘Two Gloves’ Gainey.” Gainey won one PGA event in 2012. “But, two gloves never caught on,” Hanlin said.”
YOGI BERRA’S BASEBALL MATH ALSO APPLIES TO GOLF
PGA Professional Dale Davis is Director of Golf Operations at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, one of the most historic and challenging clubs in golf, and home to the famed South Course where the greatest golfers of all time have played. Famous New York Yankees player and manager Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is 90% mental…the other half is physical.” Davis finds Yogi’s whimsical quote clever and wise. “The mental and confidence aspects of golf are just as important as physical attributes,” Davis said.
FIRESTONE COUNTRY CLUB PRO: THE WET TOWEL EFFECT
As a top PGA Professional, Davis has a variety of awards involving his many leadership roles in professional golf. At the Prestigious Firestone County Club South Course, Davis has seen the greatest competitors ever play at Firestone including Nicklaus, McElroy, and Tiger Woods. Woods won an astonishing eight PGA Tournaments at Firestone. That means Davis knows a thing or two about practice, and how it doesn’t just make your swing better. “Dedication to practice builds your confidence, confidence builds your golf swing, practice and confidence build your approach to the game,” Davis said.
“Whatever you’re trying to incorporate to gain an edge on the golf course, wearing a glove on each hand for example, nothing works unless you work at it,” said Davis. Yogi would be proud of that one from Davis. “Many golfers say a wet golf towel can give them a brief, better grip on a golf club, but that’s more of a mental benefit for some golfers than physical. Golf is about proper hand and feet alignment, lining up your shot correctly, swing process, keeping your swing simple, and practicing all of that gives you more talent and more confidence,” according to Davis. “So, whatever it is you want to work on, like trying to play golf with a glove on each hand, you’re only going to know if it works, if you practice it consistently,” Davis added.
TWO GLOVES COMES WITH A PRICE
“I don’t expect two golf gloves to become mainstream anytime soon, because there’s no concrete evidence it works, but if a golf superstar like Jack Nicklaus, or Rory McElroy won with two gloves that would be a different story,” said Barry Friedman, PGA Pro and Director of Golf at the Nicklaus Design ‘Valley of the Eagles’ in Elyria, Ohio. “Aaron Rai is certainly a successful and unique example of winning while wearing two gloves. Rai said when he tried removing one glove that he felt he lost some of the feel and comfort he developed from growing up playing with a golf glove on each hand in England where it can be very rainy and cold,” Friedman said.
THE HEAT IS ON!
“It’s been an extremely hot summer here in Ohio (Near 100 degrees at times) which means the gloves can get quite hot, uncomfortable and most gloves don’t breathe great,” said Kevin Moore, PGA Pro and Director of Golf at Sweetbriar Legacy Golf Course. “Many golfers go through multiple gloves on their one hand throughout a round in this relentless heat,” Moore added. Moore agrees with Friedman. “Despite Aaron Rai’s great success at the recent PGA Championship the average golfer isn’t familiar with Aaron, but if a big name won with two gloves, I think there’d be more of an influence for golfers trying two golf gloves,” Moore said.
THE PRICE YOU PAY
Friedman raises a good point for the weekend golfer, buying two golf gloves can be pricey. The average price of a quality glove is $26, but two golf gloves is $52. That’s an extra $26 you could use toward a round of golf at your local course, or to buy a round of some cold “pops” in the clubhouse after you get a hole-in-one, but will you make that epic golf shot with one golf glove…or two? Now, that is the question.