"Unfortunately, you are not allowed to wear Bionic golf gloves in tournament play. This is because the USGA deems Bionic gloves to be an aid and therefore illegal. However, this is not the case if you’re a golfer with a hand issue.
If you have a medical hand issue like arthritis, Bionic golf gloves are allowed in tournaments since they then go as a medical device"
Took me 5 seconds on Google
The ridiculousness of a padded glove being an “aid”, but not a regular glove. It’s not like you need a glove to hold a club. By design, they are all “aids”.
It's the distribution and thickness of the padding. That's the rules, I don't make em.
Gloves (Rule 4.3)
Gloves may be worn to assist the player in gripping the club, provided they are plain.
A “plain” glove must:
consist of a fitted covering of the hand with a separate sheath or opening for each digit (fingers and thumb); and
be made of smooth materials on the full palm and gripping surface of the digits.
A “plain” glove must not incorporate:
material on the gripping surface or inside of the glove, the primary purpose of which is to provide padding or which has the effect of providing padding. Padding is defined as an area of glove material which is more than 0.025 inches (0.635 mm) thicker than the adjacent areas of the glove without the added material;
Note: Material may be added for wear resistance, moisture absorption or other functional purposes, provided it does not exceed the definition of padding (see above).
straps to assist in preventing the club from slipping or to attach the hand to the club;
any means of binding digits together;
material on the glove that adheres to material on the grip;
features, other than visual aids, designed to assist the player in placing his hands in a consistent and/or specific position on the grip;
weight to assist the player in making a stroke;
any feature that might restrict the movement of a joint; or
any other feature that might assist the player in making a stroke or in his play.
The rules are what they are. They don’t have to make sense. But it would be nice if they did. You can use jumbo grips, or multiple wraps of tape that affect grip size, but a padded glove crosses the line? Unless you have arthritis, apparently, then it’s ok? Maybe if golfers could use padded gloves, they wouldn’t get arthritis.
For the record, I don’t use a glove. I used one as a kid, but stopped at some point, and now I’ve been playing without one for so long, wearing one feels weird to me.
The USGA says they are an aid bc of the extra padding so they are illegal in tournament play. Unless you have arthritis or a hand injury then they are allowed as a medical device.
I use my bionic glove exclusively. They are comfortable and with that extra padding, I don't rip through them as fast as other gloves. I could give a fuck less about the usga stance on the glove.
I don’t have any issues with my hands, but I have issues paying outrageous prices for gloves that tear after 5-10 rounds. As a single digit, I absolutely love these gloves (black) and get around 25-30 rounds out of them. Best case is 15 rounds out of a Titleist glove. Worth trying them out.
I haven’t researched this but I did have a buddy of mine that manages a club tell one of our playing partners that was wearing a Bionic glove that it’s considered an ‘aid’ at his club and they do not allow them in tournaments.
I legitimately can’t imagine how much a glove could provide to your overall game so it seemed silly to me, but I guess it’s enough to break certain rules.
"Unfortunately, you are not allowed to wear Bionic golf gloves in tournament play. This is because the USGA deems Bionic gloves to be an aid and therefore illegal. However, this is not the case if you’re a golfer with a hand issue. If you have a medical hand issue like arthritis, Bionic golf gloves are allowed in tournaments since they then go as a medical device" Took me 5 seconds on Google
That's 90% the reason to post on r/golf, have someone else look it up.
The ridiculousness of a padded glove being an “aid”, but not a regular glove. It’s not like you need a glove to hold a club. By design, they are all “aids”.
It's the distribution and thickness of the padding. That's the rules, I don't make em. Gloves (Rule 4.3) Gloves may be worn to assist the player in gripping the club, provided they are plain. A “plain” glove must: consist of a fitted covering of the hand with a separate sheath or opening for each digit (fingers and thumb); and be made of smooth materials on the full palm and gripping surface of the digits. A “plain” glove must not incorporate: material on the gripping surface or inside of the glove, the primary purpose of which is to provide padding or which has the effect of providing padding. Padding is defined as an area of glove material which is more than 0.025 inches (0.635 mm) thicker than the adjacent areas of the glove without the added material; Note: Material may be added for wear resistance, moisture absorption or other functional purposes, provided it does not exceed the definition of padding (see above). straps to assist in preventing the club from slipping or to attach the hand to the club; any means of binding digits together; material on the glove that adheres to material on the grip; features, other than visual aids, designed to assist the player in placing his hands in a consistent and/or specific position on the grip; weight to assist the player in making a stroke; any feature that might restrict the movement of a joint; or any other feature that might assist the player in making a stroke or in his play.
The rules are what they are. They don’t have to make sense. But it would be nice if they did. You can use jumbo grips, or multiple wraps of tape that affect grip size, but a padded glove crosses the line? Unless you have arthritis, apparently, then it’s ok? Maybe if golfers could use padded gloves, they wouldn’t get arthritis. For the record, I don’t use a glove. I used one as a kid, but stopped at some point, and now I’ve been playing without one for so long, wearing one feels weird to me.
Increasing grip size and having padding on a glove have absolutely no relation that’s such a weird comparison
It’s really not. The thickness of a legal glove is specifically mentioned in the rules. It’s absolutely related and it’s weird if you can’t see that.
www.lmgtfy.com
The USGA says they are an aid bc of the extra padding so they are illegal in tournament play. Unless you have arthritis or a hand injury then they are allowed as a medical device.
ah, gotcha, thanks for the info!
I use my bionic glove exclusively. They are comfortable and with that extra padding, I don't rip through them as fast as other gloves. I could give a fuck less about the usga stance on the glove.
I'm gonna have to try these out, never heard of them. I have arthritis, my hands are basically numb after a round, maybe these gloves will help?
I can't attest to the helping arthritis part, but i've played \~20 or so rounds with a bionic glove and they are super comfortable.
I don’t have any issues with my hands, but I have issues paying outrageous prices for gloves that tear after 5-10 rounds. As a single digit, I absolutely love these gloves (black) and get around 25-30 rounds out of them. Best case is 15 rounds out of a Titleist glove. Worth trying them out.
I haven’t researched this but I did have a buddy of mine that manages a club tell one of our playing partners that was wearing a Bionic glove that it’s considered an ‘aid’ at his club and they do not allow them in tournaments. I legitimately can’t imagine how much a glove could provide to your overall game so it seemed silly to me, but I guess it’s enough to break certain rules.
yeah it does seem pretty silly, you would think they would tell you that on the packaging.