How to Measure Your Golf Glove Size
A golf glove size comes down to two numbers you can take at home in about a minute. The first is the circumference of your hand around the first knuckle, with the thumb left out of the loop. The second is the length of your middle finger. The circumference picks your size, and the finger length tells you whether a standard glove will leave spare material bunched at the tips or whether you want a cadet cut instead. This guide walks through both measurements, gives you a men's chart in centimetres and inches, and finishes with the sixty-second fit test that confirms the answer before you buy.
- Two numbers decide it: hand circumference around the first knuckle with the thumb excluded, then middle finger length from the palm crease to the tip.
- Measure your lead hand only, which is your left hand if you play right-handed.
- If your finger length comes out shorter than your palm width, look at a cadet cut rather than a bigger glove.
- Sitting between two sizes means taking the smaller one, because leather relaxes about half a size over the first few rounds.
- A synthetic like the FootJoy WeatherSof is the low-risk way to check a measured size before spending on leather.
Measure the palm width first
Wrap a soft tape measure around your hand at the widest point, which is the knuckle line sitting just below the base of your fingers. The tape should run below the index finger knuckle and above the thumb knuckle, and your thumb stays outside the loop for the whole measurement. Keep the tape level all the way around your hand and read the number where the two ends meet. This is the measurement that sets your size, and it matters more than finger length because palm width decides how much material moves around your hand as you grip the club.
Squeezing the tape tight reads narrow and sends you down a size, so keep the loop snug rather than tight. Cupping your fingers changes the shape of the hand and adds width, so measure with the hand flat and relaxed. A piece of string works just as well if you lay it against a ruler afterwards.
Then measure your middle finger
Hold your hand flat, as though you were about to high-five someone, and run the tape from the crease where your middle finger meets your palm up to the fingertip. FootJoy builds its fitting guide around exactly these two numbers rather than asking for wrist to fingertip length, because the middle finger decides how much space sits at the end of the glove.
Measure your lead hand only. If you play right-handed, your lead hand is your left hand, the one sitting at the top of the grip, and that is the hand a glove is cut for. Left-handed golfers measure their right hand instead. Write both numbers down in centimetres and inches, since brand charts switch between the two and you do not want to convert anything in a shop.
Men's golf glove size chart
The bands below are the men's ranges most brand charts publish, and they disagree by a few millimetres at every boundary, so treat this as the size to try first rather than the size to order in bulk.
| Size | Palm circumference | Middle finger (guide) |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 19.0 to 20.5 cm (7.5 to 8 in) | about 7.5 cm |
| Medium | 20.5 to 21.5 cm (8 to 8.5 in) | about 7.9 cm |
| Medium large | 21.5 to 23.0 cm (8.5 to 9 in) | about 8.3 cm |
| Large | 23.0 to 24.0 cm (9 to 9.5 in) | about 8.6 cm |
| Extra large | 24.0 to 25.5 cm (9.5 to 10 in) | about 9.0 cm |
| Double extra large | 25.5 to 26.5 cm (10 to 10.5 in) | about 9.4 cm |
Women's charts run roughly a size below the men's numbers, so a woman measuring 20.5 cm is usually looking at a women's large rather than a men's medium. Junior gloves are sized by hand length rather than by age, and children's hands grow during a season, so measure a junior the same way and expect to buy again within a year.
Regular or cadet?
Cadet is a cut, not a grade of quality. A cadet glove in a given size has a slightly wider palm and shorter fingers than the regular cut of that same size, and it exists because plenty of golfers have broad hands and short fingers. FootJoy's rule of thumb is the clearest one going: when your finger length number comes out lower than your palm width number, try a cadet in your size, and when the two numbers differ by more than two you should work through several sizes to find the best compromise.
The obvious signal that you need cadet is spare material at the tops of your fingers even when the palm and the closure feel right. Sizing down instead of switching cut usually makes things worse, because the fingers shorten along with the palm and you end up with a glove that is tight across the hand and still loose at the tips.
The sixty-second fit test
Put the glove on and run the same checks the brands use. It should feel like a second skin, tight across the palm and fingers with no loose material to pinch between your thumb and forefinger. Your fingers should reach the ends with nothing spare at the tips, so if the ends bunch up then size down or move to a cadet rather than hoping it settles. The closure tab should only travel about three quarters of the way across the back of your hand, leaving roughly a quarter inch of hook-and-loop showing, because that spare patch is what lets you tighten the glove as the leather stretches. Grip a club and look down at the palm. Any wrinkles across the palm while you hold it mean the glove is too big, and those wrinkles are exactly where the material rubs itself away.
Why the fit matters more than the price
FootJoy's fitting guide estimates that upwards of half of all golfers wear the wrong glove size, and that most of those golfers are wearing a glove that is too big. A glove with spare material lets your hand shift inside it during the swing, and the usual reaction is to squeeze the handle harder to stop the movement, which is the opposite of what a relaxed grip wants. Loose gloves also wear out sooner, because the material abrades against the grip rather than sitting against your hand, so the wrong size costs you twice.
If you want to know how long the glove should last once the size is right, our guide to how long golf gloves last covers the round counts, the wear signs and the two-glove rotation that keeps leather going.
Gloves worth measuring yourself into
Prices and ratings come from Amazon UK listings checked on 28 September 2026, and they shift with size and colour, so check the listing before you order.
- FootJoy WeatherSof Men's Glove - the cheapest way to test a measured size, about £11.46, rated 4.4 out of 5 from 549 Amazon ratings.
- FootJoy GT Xtreme Men's Glove - all-weather synthetic for wet or humid rounds, about £13.95, rated 4.7 out of 5 from 73 Amazon ratings.
- FootJoy StaSof Men's Glove - cabretta leather for golfers who buy on feel, about £21.49, rated 4.3 out of 5 from 23 Amazon ratings.
- FootJoy RainGrip Men's Glove - wet-weather hold for British winter rounds, about £15.84, rated 4.1 out of 5 from 86 Amazon ratings.
- Callaway Thermal Grip Glove - cold-weather glove for frosty morning tee times, about £20.30, rated 4.3 out of 5 from 516 Amazon ratings.
- All Weather Golf Gloves 5 Pack - five cabretta gloves for about the price of one branded pair, handy for range sessions, about £13.95, rated 4.5 out of 5 from 599 Amazon ratings.
- FootJoy GT Xtreme Women's Glove - the women's cut of the all-weather synthetic, about £15.83, rated 4.6 out of 5 from 31 Amazon ratings.
- AIGEVTURE Kids Junior Gloves - junior sizes measured by hand length rather than age, about £9.99, rated 4.5 out of 5 from 204 Amazon ratings.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know my golf glove size?
Measure your palm circumference around the first knuckle with the thumb left out, then match that number against a brand chart. Men's bands run from about 19 cm at small to about 26.5 cm at double extra large, and your middle finger length decides whether you want a regular or a cadet cut.
Do you measure your left or right hand for a golf glove?
Measure your lead hand, which is the left hand for a right-handed golfer and the right hand for a left-hander. That is the hand wearing the glove at the top of the grip.
What is a cadet golf glove?
A cadet glove has a wider palm and shorter fingers than the regular cut in the same size. It suits golfers whose finger length measures less than their palm width, and it fixes fingertips that bunch up with spare material in a standard glove.
What if I am between two golf glove sizes?
Take the smaller size first. Leather relaxes about half a size over the first few rounds and does not shrink back, so a glove that starts loose stays loose, and FootJoy's own guidance is to try the smaller size when your measurement sits on a boundary.
How often should I check my golf glove size?
Check it at the start of every season, because hands change with age and with how much you are playing. Buying the same size out of habit is how most golfers end up a size out.
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Last reviewed: September 28, 2026 · Evidence-based content · Contains affiliate links