GOLF
Why does Aaron Rai wear two golf gloves and use iron headcovers?
The Englishman has caught fans’ attention on the PGA Tour, wearing gloves on both hands and using iron covers.
After a successful career on the DP World Tour, Aaron Rai has earned himself a place on the PGA Tour circuit. The 29-year-old Englishman has recorded two top 10 finishes this year and has become a well-known name amongst supporters thanks to his unique golfing aesthetic.
Rai is one of few players who wears two golf gloves, rather than the more traditional single glove on the player’s non-dominant hand. American golfer Tom Gainey, nicknamed ‘Two Gloves’, is probably the most famous proponent of the double-gloved style but Rai has a unique back-story.
He told Golf Monthly that he had starting using two gloves at the age of eight, explaining: “I just happened to be given these two gloves – the guy who actually makes them sent a pair over – and I got into the habit of wearing them. Then, a few weeks down the line, my dad forgot to put the two gloves in the bag so I had to play with one. It was terrible. I couldn’t play, I couldn’t feel the grip, so I’ve always stuck with the two gloves ever since.”
Why does Aaron Rai use iron headcovers?
The Wolverhampton-born golfer is also one of very few on the PGA Tour to use iron covers. Headcovers are commonplace but they are usually only used for drivers, fairway woods and putters.
Irons, a hardier and less expensive type of club, are not normally protected in this way but Rai keeps his covered at all times. He explained that his does so to ensure that he continues to “appreciate the value” of his equipment. He revealed that his father bought him a treasured set of Titleist 690 MBs as a child and he endeavoured to look after them.
“He paid for my membership, paid for my entry fees. It wasn’t money that we really had, to be honest, but he’d always buy me the best clubs. When we used to go out and practice, he used to clean every single groove afterward with a pin and baby oil, and, to protect the golf clubs, he thought it would be good to put iron covers on them and I’ve pretty much had iron covers on all my sets ever since, just to kind of appreciate the value of what I have.”