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The Nomis All Weather Golf Glove

Playing in the rain is never fun, but apart from being wet, uncomfortable and bulked up with waterproofs, it is almost impossible to keep one's hands and grips dry.

Gloves are particularly vulnerable, and even the so-called "all weather" gloves usually only last a few holes before being too wet to be of any use. So I was intrigued at the London Golf Show when I was offered a chance to try the Nomis Palm WGT 400 golf glove, which actually claims to grip better in the wet than in the dry!

After slipping on the glove with its soft and textured kangaroo skin palm, I was given a club to grip. The first thing you notice is just how comfortable it feels. The palm is completely seamless, including around the thumb, and there is no feeling of slack in the fingers (more of this later). There was a definite sensation of "stickiness" between glove and club, which I could well believe bore out their claim that it grips 5 times better than a bare hand.

Then the surprise: I was asked to plunge my gloved hand into a bucket of water. At this point it felt much like any other wet glove, but when I took hold of the club again the difference was striking. The palm of the glove seems to bond with the club, and it requires a slight effort to open the hand up and free the glove from the grip. Nomis claim that their glove has 50% more grip when wet than it does dry, meaning that you have 7.5 times more grip with your wet glove than with your dry, bare hand. Amazing, and somehow illogical, but that's what it does, and they have a chart to prove it.

Nomis say their "Packer Leather Frikton Grip technology" makes the leather reject moisture - it has less than 4% water absorption - while using the surface moisture to create more grip. It also helps to reduce sweating of the palm, forcing the hand to sweat through the back of the glove, where the Airtech mesh back and fingers add breathability and keep the hand cool. As a result, where most gloves harden and wear over time under the negative effects of sweat, the Nomis kangaroo-leather palm resists this and stays soft and supple for months. Indeed, the maker gives a 3 month guarantee on the palm to back up this assertion.

Last, but not least, the fingers.They are "pre-curved" during the cutting process, with a 45 degree cut to the end to make them fit and feel better against the grip of the club and retain their shape with regular use. So does it work? I have to say it does, but don't take my word for it: Michael Schumacher has gloves similarly shaped to give him a better feel of the steering wheel. We're in good company.

All in all, a remarkable amount of thought and technology has gone into a few strips of leather. The result is not the prettiest golf glove you ever saw, and the range of colours currently available (white & black or plain black) will not satisfy the fashionistas, but this is a working glove, not an accessory. It comes in left- and right-hand models, and S/M/ML/L/XL sizes (to measure which size you need, see their website - details below).

Nor does it come cheap. The RRP is £20.00, but you are getting a lot for your money, and this hi-tech glove should last you longer than cheaper models. If you think your game is worth it, this glove probably is too.

Clive Carpenter
May 2006

The Nomis All Weather Golf Glove is not yet in wide distribution in pro-shops, but the glove can be purchased online at www.shopnomis.com, where there is also a list of current retail stockists. RRP £20.00.

For more information about the Nomis glove, visit www.nomissports.com/gloves/