Why Palm Width Beats a Glove-Size Chart

Almost every generic grip-size chart starts with glove size — small, medium, large, extra large — and maps it directly to a grip category. It's a reasonable starting point, but it treats hand size as a single number when it's really a combination of several: palm width, finger length, and how much your fingers actually curl into your palm at address.

The Measurement That Actually Matters

The number we rely on most isn't glove size at all — it's where the fingers of your top hand contact your palm when you set up to the club. If your fingertips dig noticeably into your palm, the grip is too small regardless of what your glove says. If there's excess space between fingertip and palm, it's too large. This single check overrides a glove-size chart every time the two disagree.

Why Glove Size Alone Misleads

Glove size is primarily driven by palm width and overall hand span, but finger length varies independently. Two golfers can share identical palm width and glove size while one has noticeably longer fingers — and that golfer typically needs a larger grip diameter than the chart would suggest, because longer fingers wrap further around the grip before making contact with the palm.

A grip fit from glove size alone is a reasonable guess. A grip fit from finger-to-palm contact is a measurement.

Palm Width in Practice

We measure palm width across the base of the fingers, excluding the thumb, using a simple caliper check at the start of every fitting. That number, combined with the finger-to-palm contact check, determines core size and wrap count far more reliably than a size label alone.

When the Chart and the Measurement Disagree

This happens more often than golfers expect — particularly with golfers who have shorter, wider palms or longer, narrower fingers, both of which throw off a chart built around average proportions. When it happens, we build to the measurement, not the chart.

The Takeaway

A glove-size chart is a fine place to start a conversation, but it shouldn't be the final word on grip diameter. If your grip has never felt quite right despite matching your "correct" glove size, the finger-to-palm check is worth doing before assuming the grip category itself is wrong.