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Since the dawn of golf, leather has reigned supreme as the go-to material for golf gloves. But make no mistake, a glove isn’t just a glove. Golf equipment, including gloves, can be categorized into entry-level, mid-point, and premium.
While a novice golfer might prioritize value, seasoned golfers often seek top-notch performance. For them, grip, comfort, and breathability are critical components influencing every shot. And indeed, many leather gloves deliver on these attributes.
However, what’s the verdict on vegan gloves? Can they rival their leather counterparts? Today’s market offers materials that mimic and match the qualities of genuine leather.
This raises the question: Are vegan golf gloves readily available? The answer is yes, but they remain a rare find.
Introduction To Vegan Golf Gloves
Obviously, vegan golf gloves should not contain any animal ingredients.
Most vegan gloves I find contain different forms of synthetic material. A pretty common one is auto suede, which is a very fine fabric that is also used for cars, and aircraft interiors. There’s also knitted fabric woven into the gloves, which is what provides the gloves with breathability, flexibility and quick-drying comfort.
This type of material is important because in hot, humid environments your hands can easily start to sweat from holding the club many times, which might affect your grip.
Needless to say, it can also be useful for rainy days, where your gloves are most likely to get wet.
Different gloves have more (or less) intricate technologies, which will be reflected in the price. So far the price point for the gloves I’ve found has not oscillated much, which means the quality of the technology is quite similar.
Avoid Non-Synthetic Leather
Just remember, for your golf gloves to be vegan, you must avoid leather, which is what golf gloves often contain. In fact, what you will most likely find are gloves made from Cabretta leather.
This is basically the skin of sheep that grow hair rather than wool. In other words, it is tougher than other sheepskins so it’s used to create durable products like gloves and shoes.
None Of The Brands Are “Sustainable”.
Let me mention first that none of the brands I’ll mention have any type of environmental commitment. If you want to find golf products with a big emphasis on sustainability and ethics, I’m afraid golf is just not that kind of sport.
The golf gloves I will share with you are technically considered vegan because they’re fully synthetic. However, that does not mean they’re sustainable since usually every type of synthetic material has a harmful impact on the planet.
This said, using synthetic products is still infinitely better than skinning animals for leather.
Regular Golf Gloves
Puma Flex Lite Golf Glove
What’s surprising about this glove is that despite the cheap price, you’re getting a glove that is notches above the Callaway glove. This glove is made from synthetic leather combined with 4-way stretch lycra, which gives it the flexibility and comfort found in most genuine leather gloves.
You would think that durability is an issue but the reviews on Amazon could not give you a better indication of the contrary. According to many verified reviewers, this Flexlit golf glove is quite durable and should last you a couple of summers, even if you play regularly 3-4 times a week.
Those tiny holes in the glove (see in the image) are strategically placed to enhance breathability, which should keep your hands from getting sweaty and uncomfortable. This technology makes it so the moisture created by your hands is expelled when in contact with the glove so that each swing feels light and comfortable.
Just like any other velcro tab, you can adjust the closure to fit the size of your wrist. According to the information shared by Puma, these gloves are comprised of 52% polyester, 42% polyurethane, and 6% spandex.
In other words, these are all forms of plastic which makes this glove vegan-friendly.
Golf Gloves For Rainy Weather
FootJoy Men’s RainGrip Gloves
