Introduction to golf glove materials and types

The origins of golf gloves can be traced back to the early history of golf. The earliest golf gloves were designed to provide better grip and protect the player's hands.

In Scotland, the birthplace of golf, golfers often use sheepskin gloves. These gloves provide a better grip on the club and reduce friction on the hands. This is very important for playing golf in different weather conditions. In wet Scottish weather, maintaining a stable grip on the club is crucial.

• Friction, control, and stability: Golf club handles are often made of metal, rubber, or other materials, and they can become relatively slippery, especially in humid or hot weather conditions. Wearing gloves can provide a better grip and help you hold the club more firmly, improving your swing control and stability.
• Protection (Reduced Friction): The golf club swing creates some friction, which can lead to wear, blisters, or abrasions on your hands if you don’t wear gloves. Wearing gloves can reduce friction between your hands and club and protect your skin.
• Provide comfort: Wearing gloves can provide a level of cushioning and support, making your hands feel more comfortable during your swing. This helps reduce the impact of the golf swing on the hand and reduces fatigue.
• Prevent Sweat: In hot weather, your hands may sweat, which can lead to slippery hands and reduced grip. Golf gloves are often sweat-wicking, which can help absorb sweat and keep your hands dry, thus maintaining a better grip.
• Fashion: Good-looking gloves show a golfer's confident style.

In short, wearing gloves can improve the golfer's control, comfort and protection, and is an important piece of equipment in the game of golf. Different golfers may choose different types of gloves to suit different weather conditions and personal preferences.

A: Yes.

Whether to wear gloves is a personal choice and can be decided based on personal preference and actual conditions.

Some golfers choose not to wear gloves because they prefer the feel of the club with their bare hands, or they think gloves will reduce their feel. In dry and mild weather conditions, some golfers may prefer not to wear gloves.

However, in wet or cold weather conditions, or when hands are prone to sweating, wearing gloves can provide better grip and protection. Gloves also reduce friction against the skin of your hands during the golf swing, reducing fatigue and discomfort.

Common golf gloves can be divided into several types according to their materials:

Top quality sheepskin gloves

• lambskin gloves
• Technical cloth gloves
• Synthetic leather gloves
• Traditional cloth gloves

In the following article, I will introduce the suitable use scenarios of various gloves, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

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It can be roughly subdivided according to function as follows:

• Elastic gloves
• rainy day gloves
• Dispensing gloves
• fingerless gloves
• breathable gloves

Other special specifications are not described in detail here.

When you start to choose lambskin gloves as your daily gloves, it means that you have entered the ranks of senior golfers from the beginning. After you become proficient in the movements, you will have higher requirements for the details of clubs, gloves and other equipment. Make better use of your skills. There are many brands and styles of sheepskin gloves on the market, with prices ranging from 200 yuan to more than 2,000 yuan. How do you choose when the price difference is so big? The author roughly lists the factors that affect the quality of sheepskin:

• Variety
• Origin
• parts
• Post-processing technology
• Cutting, stitching and sewing techniques

Among them, the variety, part, and post-processing technology are the factors that are easiest for the public to identify and have the greatest impact on the quality of sheepskin.

Different types of sheepskin, parts and post-processing techniques will cause great differences in the feeling of use. Inferior quality sheepskin may not be as comfortable as synthetic leather, and the cost and pricing will of course vary greatly!

Variety

• Cabrettas: The top and most recognized sheepskin for sheepskin gloves comes from Cabrettas sheep. The name Cabrettas actually comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word for goat (goat). Cabretta sheep are small goats mainly found in South Africa. The leather of this sheep is very thin and soft, making it ideal for making leather goods that require flexibility and comfort, especially gloves. At present, the top styles of the world's top golf glove brands or the gloves launched by luxury brands also mostly use Cabrettas sheepskin (sheep leather) as raw materials.
• Other breeds of sheep: Generally speaking, in terms of breed, if a glove brand uses non-Cabretta sheepskin, it will not specify the breed. For consumers, the quality difference of this kind of leather mainly comes from the selected parts and post-processing technology.

Origin

Cabretta goats are mainly distributed in areas such as South Africa, Ireland, and Australia, so these places have become the main producing areas of Cabretta leather. Cabretta leather from different regions may have slightly different characteristics and qualities, depending on the goat breed, diet and other environmental factors. Other sheepskin-producing regions such as China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc., have extensive goat and sheep farming industries. Although these countries also produce high-quality sheepskins, they also produce large quantities of low-end and cheap sheepskins, which are usually used in mass production. cheap leather products. Low-end sheepskins in these areas are usually less expensive and not as good as high-end leathers.

• South Africa: South Africa is one of the main production areas of Cabretta leather. The country's dry climate and large tracts of pasture make it an ideal location for lambskin production.
• Ireland: Ireland is one of the main producers of Cabretta leather and is known for its rich grasslands and climate suitable for raising lambs. Irish lambskin generally has excellent texture and quality.
• Australia: Australia’s sheepskin industry also produces high-quality sheepskins. Australian lambskin is renowned for its softness and durability.
• New Zealand: New Zealand is also a major producer of sheepskin, especially famous for its Merino leather. These leathers are used in high-end clothing and other fine leather goods.
• China: China is one of the largest sheepskin producers in the world. Sheepskin in China is used to make a variety of leather goods, including footwear, clothing, handbags and homewares.
• India: India is also an important source of sheepskin, which is used to make a variety of leather goods, including shoes, gloves and clothing.
• Argentina: Argentina is one of the largest sheepskin producers in South America and is famous for its high-quality sheep hides, especially the Cordeva region.
• Turkey: Turkey produces many types of sheepskin that are used to make footwear, clothing, and other leather goods.

Parts & Cuts

• Full-Grain Leather : the highest grade. The outermost layer of leather retains the natural texture and pores of sheepskin, making each piece of leather unique! Has excellent softness, durability and feel.
• Top-Grain Leather : Full-grain leather that has been processed and ground. Smoother than full-grain leather, more consistent in appearance, softer and better to the touch, thinner than full-grain leather, and easier to break. The raw material of the PGA TOUR lambskin gloves that my company has sold well for many years is full-grain leather.
• Split Leather : Made from the bottom or middle layer of sheepskin. High-end gloves do not use this piece of leather as gloves. Compared with full-grain leather/top layer leather, it is of poorer quality, less wear-resistant and less durable.

Post-processing technology

Excellent post-processing coupled with high-quality sheepskin can often achieve the effect of one plus one greater than two. And inferior sheepskin, after good post-processing, can also modify some defects to achieve softer, more durable and comfortable results. Effect. The leading sheepskin post-processing methods currently on the market are as follows:

• Bench Cut: The standard cutting technology for high-quality leather. Bench Cut is used to cut sheepskin into suitable thickness for application in various products. The advantages compared with general cutting are as follows:
  • Appearance: Smooth, consistent thickness and flawless/ The thickness varies and there are concave and convex spots.
  • Touch: soft and comfortable/ rough and fine to the touch
  • Natural: retain the texture and color of the sheepskin/destroy the natural texture of the sheepskin
• Non-directional surface treatment: First, the sheepskin may be washed and pre-treated to remove dirt, oil, and other impurities. Secondly, physical treatment methods will be applied to the sheepskin surface. Machined and shaped to ensure that not only is the texture uniform, but that the entire surface conforms to the desired properties.
  • Texture: Retain the original texture and characteristics of sheepskin without introducing artificial traces, making sheepskin more natural and original.
  • Softening: It does not damage the structure of sheepskin and maintains the softness of sheepskin.
  • Durability: Eliminates the natural pores and unevenness of the outermost layer of sheepskin, making it more resistant to wear and damage.
• Graphite micro-gap treatment: The leather surface is coated or dipped in a liquid containing a graphite micro-gap agent, usually a water-based or organic solvent. This liquid contains tiny graphite particles or graphite compounds. The fine graphite particles or fine structures in the graphite micro-gap agent will penetrate into the fiber structure of the leather. Graphite micro-gap treatment has the following benefits for leather:
  • Tight: The graphite microstructure fills the tiny pores of the leather, making the leather tighter.
  • Softening: Reduces the hardness of leather and increases its softness and flexibility. Because the penetration of microstructure can help reduce the friction between fibers and make the leather softer.
  • Durability: Because the graphite micropore treatment fills the leather's tiny pores, it helps improve the leather's durability, making it more resistant to wear and tear.
  • Texture : Graphite micro-gap treatment does not damage the leather structure and can well retain the natural texture and color of the leather without introducing unnecessary changes to its appearance.
  • Environmentally friendly: The chemical dosage used is a small amount of graphite and no harmful substances will be introduced. 

Cutting, stitching and sewing techniques

• Too thick : the point of using Cabretta sheepskin is lost. Because no matter how good the leather material is, you still can’t feel the feel of the club.
• Hand shape : If the gloves are not cut according to the Oriental hand shape, the comfort of the gloves will also be reduced.
  • Asia/Europe and America
  • Palm length: shorter/longer
  • Finger length: shorter/longer
  • Palm width: wider / narrower

Of course, not all Asians have the same hand size as listed above, and not all Westerners have longer palms.

• Stitching and splicing : In order to avoid affecting the feel and appearance, the stitching and leather splicing of golf gloves are mostly hidden on the inside of the glove. A good glove should prevent the wearer from feeling obvious traces of stitching, especially on the fi