Tiger Woods solely wears a glove when hitting sure photographs across the greens.
Getty Photographs
Welcome to Play Sensible, a daily GOLF.com game-improvement column that may show you how to develop into a better, higher golfer.
Golf gloves are an important piece of kit. Not solely can they stop uncomfortable blisters and calluses, in addition they stop the grip from slipping through the swing if you get a little bit sweaty. That’s a win-win.
The downside of sporting a glove is that it may restrict your really feel — particularly on shorter photographs. That’s why you’ll usually see golfers take off their glove when they’re placing, and even on shorter photographs across the greens. While you want a little bit extra contact on a shot, it’s clever to be sure you’ve received a great really feel for the membership.
However whereas taking the glove off is often normal across the greens, there are specific photographs that you just would possibly contemplate preserving the glove on for. Within the video under, Tiger Woods explains why he generally opts to depart his glove on — even when it’s a shorter shot.
Why Tiger leaves his glove on
As we coated above, sporting a glove can scale back your really feel on shorter little contact photographs. That’s why Woods — and most different professionals — usually go no-glove when taking part in short-game photographs. Nevertheless, there are specific photographs across the greens that Woods will go away his glove on for.
“I used to make use of a glove on a regular basis,” Woods says. “Then I spotted that I had extra contact and extra really feel and not using a glove. However out of the bunker, as a result of I’m hitting it a lot tougher, [the club] was twisting in my hand. So I placed on a glove for traction on bunker photographs.”
To hit correct bunker photographs from greenside, you’re usually going to be swinging a lot tougher than different short-game photographs. And if you’re swinging tougher, the membership is extra more likely to slip round in your fingers. Due to this, Woods makes use of a glove to verify he can hold the clubface secure.
“Once I hit a full-swing flop shot, or I’ve to battle numerous resistance, like hitting it out of excessive rye grass or hitting out of sand, hitting behind it, it’s going to wish to twist in my hand,” he says. “The glove provides me an added sense of safety that it gained’t twist.”
Whereas contact and really feel are essential across the greens, it’s additionally essential to be sure you’ve received management of the clubface. Should you’re struggling to hit strong photographs from the bunkers and not using a glove, it may be time to take after the 15-time main winner and see if including a glove helps.
