FootJoy StaSof: Still a Great Glove After All These Years
    Glove tested: FootJoy StaSof (men’s) Retail price: $24 Material(s): Cabretta leather Colors: Pearl, black Hand: Left, right Sizes: S, M, ML, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL

    Available in cadet* fit: Yes Weather: All

    About this glove: The flagship product of golf’s No. 1 glove brand, the StaSof is still going strong some 35 years after its introduction. Adam Scott wears a StaSof glove. Lee Westwood, too. In fact, it’s preferred by more tour players than any other model.

    What’s the big deal about FootJoy’s StaSof? It popularized cabretta leather, for one thing. And FootJoy maintains its exclusive partnership with Pittards of England, specialists in high-performance leather. The current StaSof model (2015) features a specially treated leather called “Taction2,” as well as breathable, stretchable mesh in the fingers and a three-directional fastener to enhance fit.

    Does FootJoy’s StaSof still rank among golf’s best gloves as it approaches middle age? Let’s take it for a spin.

    Appearance: We love the look – clean and classic, with a subtle technological flair added by the black mesh strip across the back of the hand. FootJoy offers an all-black StaSof, too, if you’re into that sort of thing.

    Comfort: It may not match FootJoy’s luxurious, $30 Pure Touch Limited, but StaSof is mighty close in terms of comfort. It’s not only exceptionally soft and flexible, the glove breathes beautifully and feels virtually weightless on the hand. The elastic wrist band, a feature of most gloves these days, is snug but not restrictive.

    Feel: Sumptuous. StaSof’s leather is very thin, so you can feel every notch and nodule on the club’s handle. Provided you choose a glove that fits correctly, you’ll experience no bunching or excess stretching in the palm or fingers.

    Tackiness: More excellence in this all-important category. Even after several rounds, you can rub the StafSof against the club’s grip and produce tangible friction and an audible squeak – sure signs that it’s holding its tack.

    Durability: This may actually be the FootJoy StaSof’s greatest strength. This seemingly delicate accessory remains one of the most durable on the market. If you can’t get at least a dozen rounds out of one glove, you’re either gripping too tightly, not rotating your gloves or otherwise neglecting to care for it properly.

    Bottom line: There’s a lot more competition now than when FootJoy introduced the all-cabretta StaSof glove in 1980. Yet it’s still as good an all-around glove as you’ll find. The price tag is a little steep, and you may get equal performance and durability from a less expensive model. But judged strictly on the merits, StaSof is virtually unbeatable.

    *Cadet gloves have shorter fingers than regular gloves of the same size; e.g., a cadet medium glove has the same palm fit with shorter fingers than a standard medium.