Glove tested: Caddy Daddy Talon (men’s) Retail price: $17.99 Material(s): Synthetic material, mesh, microsuede Colors: White with gray Hand: Left Sizes: S, M, ML, L, XL, XXL
Available in cadet* fit: Yes (left hand only) Weather: All
About this glove: Golf and football have very little in common. Both sports are played with a ball and… Yeah, that’s about it.
If you set out to create an innovative golf product, the gridiron isn’t the first place you’d look for inspiration. Yet the folks at Caddy Daddy noticed how easily glove-clad receivers were able to snatch rocket-fired footballs out of the air. Those mitts, they thought, must be seriously sticky.
The Arizona company – launched in 2002 and the maker of beverage holders, golf travel bags and clubhead covers – tried building a golf glove with similar materials to receivers’ gloves. No good – too thick. Eventually, though, the R&D department came up with a breakthrough.
Called “Tack Fusion,” the synthetic material covers the palm of Caddy Daddy’s Talon glove. The company hails Tack Fusion as “revolutionary,” claiming that the glove actually “re-energizes” after a machine washing or light cleaning.
Caddy Daddy also touts the Talon glove’s comfort and breathability; microsuede and mesh in the fingers and backhand augment the Tack Fusion palm. It’s more durable than your average glove too, according to Caddy Daddy.
Sounds great, no doubt. But we’ve read a lot of mumbo-jumbo by a lot of companies, only to end up disappointed by the product. Let’s find out if the Talon glove delivers on its lofty promises.
Appearance: We wouldn’t call it the most stylish golf glove out there, but then taste is purely subjective. The gray fingertips make the look a little “busy,” though it’s hardly offensive. If you’re into a more techy look than the typical all-white golf glove, you may appreciate the Talon’s appearance.
Comfort: We expected the microsuede portions to feel cool and smooth, and the mesh to provide good flexibility. Right on both counts. We were pleasantly surprised by the light, supple touch in the palm. We enjoyed an excellent fit pretty much right away; there was no shoving in the fingers and flexing the hand to stretch the Talon glove. It was ready on arrival.
Feel: We’re always mildly skeptical of a non-cabretta leather glove. (Even though we’ve been proven wrong by Hirzl’s kangaroo leather Trust Feel and Trust Control models, among others.) Well, whatever Caddy Daddy did in the lab, they got it right. The Talon glove supplies excellent feel across the palm and fingers. As always, a snug fit enhances feedback.
Tackiness: If the Talon glove becomes a success story, this will likely be the reason. It’s tacky, tacky, tacky. It’s so tacky, in fact, that holding a moderately worn sand wedge grip proved no problem, even on full swings in the bunker. Best of all, the palm material does, indeed, respond well to moisture. Talon would make a great choice for dewy morning rounds, or even playing in light rain.
Durability: Because we haven’t tested the Talon glove over the long haul, we’ll have to take the company’s word for it here. We’ll give the Caddy Daddy folks the benefit of the doubt, too – their other claims held up to scrutiny.
Bottom line: Add another brand to the list of upstart companies making excellent golf gloves. With Talon, Caddy Daddy joins the aforementioned Hirzl as well as Asher, Bionic, MG, G/FORE and LeviTee in offering a unique, high-performance glove. This particular model stands out for comfort, tackiness and all-weather performance. The Talon golf glove is definitely a catch.
