The Bionic Golf Glove is considered to be one of the more revolutionary gloves on the market. The glove is designed to improve your grip, which means the golf shaft will not twist in your hands as much, leading to more consistent straight shots.
However, with so much to offer, it surely can’t be legal. To figure this out, I took a look at the USGA and R&A equipment rules to figure out whether or not the Bionic Golf Gloves are legal.
Is The Bionic Golf Glove Legal? According to rule 4.3 in the USGA’s equipment rules, Bionic Golf Gloves are considered an aid, which illegally helps the player with their game. So, this means that Bionic Golf Gloves are not legally allowed in any casual, high-level amateur, or professional golf tournaments or outings. In other words, the Bionic Golf Glove is not USGA approved.
For reference, the USGA and R&A are considered to be governing bodies of the golfing world. So any piece of equipment that they deem as illegal should be seen as illegal by all other golfing groups and organizations.
Why Is The Bionic Golf Glove Legal?
The USGA has a specific set of rules that golf gloves must conform to in order to be considered legal. These rules are quite specific, and while there aren’t that many of them, they are quite strict. If even one of the rules is broken, then the entire glove is considered illegal.
Below is a list of the rules that the USGA has for golf gloves.
“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”
Given the design of the Bionic Golf Glove, with its difference in padding near the fingers, it is not considered a ‘plain’ glove. Because of this, the USGA believes that the glove gives a player too much assistance with their grip, swing, etc. Thus making it illegal.