How Often Should You Change Your Golf Glove?

Anybody who has played a reasonable amount of golf knows that gloves don’t last as long as other equipment. But realistically, how often should you change your golf glove? Probably more often than you might think.

We’ve all been there, you’ve gone through a busy spell on the golf course. Maybe it’s summer and you’re cramming as much action in as possible before the nights draw in, and the weather turns. Or maybe you’ve just been practising a lot recently, and you worn out the glove so there’s probably a hole or two in there.

Why should you change your golf glove?

Before we look at how often you should change your old glove and slip on a fresh one... Let’s look at why you should be changing your golf glove. Now, the obvious answer is that golf gloves, being made out of either leather, synthetic, or a combination of the two, get worn pretty quickly, and as they wear down become less effective as a result.

Holes or tears can appear, which means that you’ll likely start to feel a level of discomfort when gripping your club, so it’s a good idea to know how long your glove is going to last and be aware of the benefits of changing it.

Gripping the golf club correctly is an essential part of the game, and you won’t be able to grip as well if your golf glove is in poor condition, so the bottom line is, change it when it starts to look a little worse for wear.

How long does a golf glove last?

It does of course depend on the quality of the glove. It also depend on how often you play golf. If it’s a particularly low-quality glove, then a few rounds and you could be done. But let’s say you’re doing the smart thing and buying a glove designed by one of the many top golf brands.

The short answer is regularly, but just how often is regularly in relative terms for the amateur golfer, who probably isn’t playing every day, maybe not every week?

On this topic, there are several schools of thought so to speak. Some people suggest changing your golf glove every 5 rounds. This will seem excessive for some golfers, while others say every 12 rounds, which again, for some, may seem not quite often enough.

Let’s say you are an average golfer playing one per week, and let’s also say that you take good care of your glove, removing it after play, allowing it to air out or dry if conditions have been a bit wet, etc, etc. In this case you can expect to change your glove probably four times per year.

How often should you change your golf glove if you're an average golfer?

Let's assume that an average golfer plays once per week year round. The average golfer should get 8-10 rounds out of their glove before they need to change it.

I personally don't overthink it...I just change the golf glove when it feels too loose, when I don't have enough grip feeling like in the start etc. In the summer months this is once every 3-4 weeks and once per 7-9 weeks in the winter.

Why might a glove not last as long as it should?

Realistically, if you want to ensure that you’re always playing with a glove that does exactly what it’s supposed to, then you’re going to have to bite the bullet and switch it up reasonably regularly, as noted above, though if you notice that your glove shows signs of decay very early on, e.g. just a few rounds in, then it may be for one of the following reasons:

• You’ve used the glove in the rain and have put it straight back into your bag without airing it.
• Your glove is either too big or too small for your hand. Here's how to fit your golf glove.
• Your club grips are either very worn or poor quality and are rubbing off onto your glove.
• The glove is particularly low quality.

Provided you avoid such mistakes you shouldn’t have to change it more than three or four times per year. If you’re somebody who plays a lot of golf, switch for example one glove every ten rounds.

Conclusion

I would say that changing golf club isn't something you can just do every few weeks. It really depends on the glove quality, how well you take care of it, if your hands are sweating etc.

It's better to change the glove every X rounds because sometimes you play golf more often and the weeks don't play any role here... Or even better, have a spare golf glove always with you and change it when you feel like you're losing grip 😉