Golf Glove Alternatives [2023] -

Tired of constantly spending money on golf gloves due to wear and tear of the glove and looking for a new solution?

Save some money by trying these alternatives while not sacrificing any grip on your golf club.

Taping fingers with athletic tape, using a grip spray, having corded golf grips, and not wearing a golf glove are all great alternatives to golf gloves.

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Taping fingers with Athletic tape for golf grip

Pros:

Cheap, effective way to increase grip
Easy to tape fingers

Cons:

Not as effective as glove
Grip may suffer in rainy conditions

Tiger Woods is known for putting tape on his right middle finger while wearing a glove on his left hand.

He taped his right middle finger because that’s where his right hand saw the most pressure from the golf swing.

His hands are the reason why he’s worth hundreds of millions, and if you have never golfed with a busted blister or cut on your hand, it sucks.

It’s painful and feels like it’s slowly opening up on every swing, wreaking havoc on your mental game as you try to fully commit to every shot.

So to protect the “moneymakers” of the golf swing and to maximize your potential for a good round, do the boring but necessary stuff like taping up a finger or two. BirdieWrap makes an excellent tape for your fingers.

When hitting hundreds of balls in a range session or playing 18+ holes, it’s critical to not get blisters, calluses, or cuts on your fingers. Keep in mind if you do break open skin, make sure to put a bandage on it and monitor it to avoid infection.

The solution to avoid blisters while golfing is simple. Wrap the desired amount of finger(s) 1-2 times with any sort of athletic tape.

There is no right or wrong answer for the amount of tape or which fingers to tape up, you will have to experiment and see what works best for your golf game.

Grip and Rip Golf Grip Spray review

Pros:

Cheap, effective way to increase grip
Great in rainy or humid conditions
Non-Allergenic, safe for all skin types

Cons:

Extremely sticky for a minute or two before drying
Some complaints about it only lasting a hole or two
Does not work well with old, slick grips

Grip and Rip Golf Grip spray helps enhance your grip on the golf club by removing moisture from your hands similar to a rosin bag for pitchers or bowlers.

Grip & Rip Golf Grip Spray sprays directly on the hands. Only 2-3 sprays are needed for 6-9 holes, so it should be a lot cheaper in the long run than buying golf gloves.

It is proudly made in the USA, non-allergenic, and is suitable for all skin types. It is made from all-natural Ingredients: Distilled Water, Denatured Alcohol, Brazilian Pine Rosin, Organic Aloe Vera, Tea Tree Oil & Jojoba Oil.

Perfect for hot or rainy conditions, it will help you maintain your grip and confidence until the final hole!

Youtuber MrShortGameGolf has a great video review on Grip and Rip Golf Grip Spray.

GOLF TAC GRIP ENHANCER Review

Pros:

Gives tacky feeling after 1 minute
Great on old, slick grips
Does not stain grips or gloves
Does not collect dust or dirt

Cons:

Not as effective in wet or humid conditions
A few complaints about the messiness of the spray
A few golfers complained about tackiness only lasting a hole or two

Golf Tac Grip Enhancer sprays directly on the club grip itself. It helps provide a clean, non-slip grip in even the worst conditions.

Its formula is invisible and will not leave a mess or stain grips, gloves, hands, shirts, etc. It also helps revive, old slick grips instead of replacing them and could be a great temporary fix if you don’t have time or money to replace the grips.

Shortly after it is sprayed the tackiness will only be pressure sensitive. You won’t have to worry about the grips picking up dirt, grass, etc. if you lay your club down on the green or fringe.

Golf Tac Grip Enhancer will help keep your clubhead from twisting throughout the swing because of the extra tackiness it gives the golf grip.

It conforms to USGA regulations and has a pleasant vanilla scent.

Playing golf without a glove

Pros:

Save money by not buying gloves or other grip enhancers
Enhanced feel in the golf swing
Lighter grip on the club may lead to increased clubhead speed

Cons:

Not as effective as glove for majority of golfers
Grip will suffer in wet or humid conditions
Blisters may form from either hundreds of swings or incorrect grip

There are a small minority of golfers who swear by not using a golf glove. I’m not one of them, but one of my friends (a 1 handicap) swears by it because of the enhanced feel and control he feels through impact.

This makes sense considering most golfers take their glove off to putt for this very reason.

If you are going to do this, it is essential to have your grips in great shape. A slick grip will cause you to grip the club harder with no glove, leading to decreased power and possible blisters due to the friction of the club sliding around.

If you feel like the club is slipping with a glove, there may be several factors you can control such as the golf glove fit, material of glove, and quality of glove.

If you’re not wearing a glove due to an allergic reaction, check my article out on gloves to wear with golf glove allergies.

Golfers who don’t wear golf gloves also swear by corded grips for an enhanced grip.

Corded grips for replacing golf glove

Pros:

Great way to increase grip
Maximum Performance in rainy and humid conditions
Grips are on the firmer side, giving more feedback to the hands

Cons:

Most expensive alternative to golf gloves
Grips are “rough”, not ideal for soft hands
May initially form callouses from using corded grips

Cord golf grips have small strands of actual cotton cord throughout the grip to help repel moisture away from the rubber and to increase grip.

This helps reduce slippage and increase traction between the hands and the grip. This sort of grip is ideal for players who live in hot, humid conditions and experience excessive hand sweating. I highly recommend the CHAMPKEY Premium Hybrid Grips, it performs like the top name grips and comes in a 13 pack at a fraction of the price.

Cord grips are ideal for the golfer who plays in rainy or humid conditions. These grips are usually on the firmer side, producing more feedback in the hands to tell if you hit the sweet spot of the club or not.

Cord grips are also for players with faster swings and/or a fast transition from the top of the backswing to the beginning of the downswing. That’s why many pros like Tiger Woods have trusted cord grips on their clubs.

A life hack to extend the grip life is to lightly sand it down with sandpaper to expose fresh cord. This can only be done a few times but can help get some more bang for your buck with cord grips.

wearing batting glove for golf

Pros:

Can use old batting glove laying around at home
Great grip

Cons:

Not USGA approved, can’t submit handicap or play in any USGA events
Very thick, leading to limited feel and performance

This is not advised, as the batting glove is thicker and more padded than a golf glove, leading to limited feel and performance.

It is not legal to use a batting glove per USGA rules, so you can not submit a score for your handicap or enter any USGA-sponsored competitions wearing a batting glove.

With all of that said, if you have a pair of batting gloves and want to experiment on the range or a casual round, go for it! Just expect some odd looks from the casual golfer on the range or in your foursome.

Golf glove alternatives faqs

Is it OK to play without a golf glove?

Yes, there are many golfers who play without a golf glove. Most golfers take their glove off to putt for the increased feel in their hands, so it makes sense why some golfers prefer to not wear a golf glove at all.

Do any pro golfers play without a glove?

Most pro golfers use one glove while taking full swings with their drivers, irons, and wedges. Major Champions Freddy Couples and Lucas Glover are among the golfers in the pro ranks who have never used a golf glove.

What can I use instead of a golf glove?

From the article above, the best options instead of a golf glove are corded golf grips, taping fingers up, Grip and Rip it Golf Spray, and golf grip Spray to help increase grip on the golf club.

Conclusion

And there you have it! Here is a quick recap of the best golf glove alternatives.

Taping up finger(s)
Corded Golf Grips
Grip It and Rip It Golf Spray
Golf Tac Grip Enhancer Spray
Golfing without a Glove

Now that we have some good alternatives to golf gloves, test them out and see which one suits your game the best. You will save money and possibly shoot lower scores as well!