Friction Gloves Review: The Original Disc Golf Grip Glove, Compared With the Alternatives

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Friction Gloves (Wilsonville, Oregon) started making rubberized gloves for ultimate frisbee in 2012 and brought the disc golf version out in late 2016 — the first glove built for the sport, by the company’s own account. It has been the default disc golf glove ever since. The glove you want is the Friction DG. Friction’s own description is that they took their best-selling ultimate glove and added grip on the throwing fingers, for control on forehands as well as backhands. The Friction 3 is that ultimate model, sold as a pair only, and it is easy to buy by mistake. This review covers what the DG does for a disc golfer, how it wears, sizing, and how it compares to the Layout alternatives.

Best disc golf grip glove

Friction DG (Friction Disc Golf Gloves)

4.5/5

$18.99 single / $29.99 pair direct; $22.99 a pair at Infinite Discs approx. street price

• Sold as: Single or pair
• Palm: Rubberized grip
• Warmth: Light
• Sizes: Youth S – XXL (8)
• PDGA legal: Yes

Check Price at Infinite Discs

Pros

• Rubberized palm and fingers grip wet plastic when bare skin can't
• Sold as a single glove — the only major brand that does
• Thin enough to keep some feel, with the grip on the throwing fingers for forehand as well as backhand
• Friction has made disc-sport gloves since 2012; the disc golf model arrived in late 2016
• Explicitly legal in PDGA competition, per Friction
• Eight sizes from Youth Small to XXL — the widest range in disc golf gloves

Cons

• Reduces putting feel; most owners take it off inside the circle
• Fingertips wear through with heavy use
• Runs small; the sizing chart is essential
• Only modest warmth — see the Warm version for winter

What the glove is for

A disc golf glove has exactly one purpose: to make the disc leave your hand the same way when conditions would otherwise change that. Three conditions matter:

1. Rain. Wet plastic on wet skin slips; the release goes early and nose-up. A rubberized palm holds it.
2. Sweat. Same problem in July.
3. Cold. Below about 45 °F, fingers lose feel and grip. A thin glove keeps enough warmth to throw with some control.

In dry, mild weather the glove does little, and it costs you feel. That’s why the honest owner consensus is “drives in the glove, putts without it” — a pattern so common it’s worth planning around: buy a single, wear it on the throwing hand, take it off in the circle.

Grip and feel

The Friction DG’s palm and throwing fingers are coated with a rubberized grip layer. Owners describe the effect on wet or sweaty days as immediate — the disc stops slipping and drives regain their normal shape. The trade-off is feel: the layer mutes the sensation of the disc rolling off the fingertips, which matters most on putts and touch approaches. Friction keeps the glove thin to minimize this, and it’s thinner than the Layout Classic, but it isn’t nothing.

For forehand throwers the grip on the fingers is particularly useful, and forehand players are also the ones who report wearing through the fingertips fastest.

Are gloves legal in tournaments?

Yes, and it’s worth stating plainly because it comes up in every “should I get a glove” thread: Friction states on its own product page that its disc golf gloves are allowed in PDGA play. The PDGA’s equipment rules restrict the disc, not what’s on your hand — you’ll see gloves in sanctioned rounds, particularly in cold and wet conditions.

What isn’t allowed is anything applied to the disc to change its grip. A glove moves the grip problem to your hand, which is the legal side of that line, and is a large part of why these exist.

Fit and sizing

This is the single most common complaint in owner reviews, and it’s avoidable: Friction gloves run small, and a grip glove has to be snug. Loose rubber bunches on the fingers and the grip gets worse, not better. Use Friction’s sizing chart, measure your hand, and if you’re between sizes go up. Sizes run from Youth Small to XXL, so there’s a fit for most hands.

One number worth knowing before you order: Friction’s own store shows 4.9 out of 5 across 104 reviews for the disc golf pair, checked 28 October 2026, and it matches what turns up in forum threads. It’s a manufacturer’s own store, so treat it as directional rather than independent, but the volume is real and the complaints inside those reviews are the same ones we list below: sizing runs small, fingertips wear first.

Durability

Owners report one to two seasons of regular use before the grip on the fingertips wears through; the fabric back and stitching generally outlast the grip layer. That’s similar to Layout gloves and reasonable for a $19 single. Wearing the glove only when conditions call for it (rather than every round) extends it considerably.

Single vs pair

Friction is the only major brand selling a single glove, and it’s the right way to buy one for disc golf: $18.99 for the throwing hand instead of $29.99 for a pair, and the cheapest way to find out whether a glove helps you at all. Buy the pair if you also play ultimate, or if you want the off-hand glove for warmth in fall.

Where to buy, checked 28 October 2026: Friction’s own store is $18.99 for the single hand and $29.99 for the pair, in eight sizes from Youth Small to XXL, two colours, and with add-ons no retailer carries (glove grips, an Ultrastar, nail clippers). Infinite Discs sells the pair for $22.99, seven dollars less. So buy the pair at Infinite Discs and the single direct, because Friction is the only place that sells one.

Friction Warm

Winter version

Friction Gloves Warm

4.0/5

$30.99 direct approx. street price

Check Price at Infinite Discs

Pros

• Same grip palm with insulation for 30–50 °F rounds

Cons

• Thicker; pair only; not waterproof

The winter version keeps the grip palm and adds an insulated back and cuff. Owners say it’s throwable at 30–50 °F, noticeably thicker, and not waterproof — wet snow soaks the back. Many end up wearing it on the off hand only, with the throwing hand in a pocket with a hand warmer between shots; our gloves roundup covers that setup.

Friction vs Layout

Alternative cut

Layout Elite Gloves

4.5/5

$29–$32 pair approx. street price

🏷️ 12% off with our link — code DISCGEARHQ at checkout

Save 12% at Layout

Pros

• Suppler grip, shorter cuff, more putting feel

Cons

• Pair only and $8 more

Layout is the other serious disc-sport glove maker. The Layout Elite ($29–$32) uses a suppler grip material and a shorter wrist cut, and it’s the glove owners recommend if you want to keep putting in gloves. The Layout Classic ($28–$31) is thicker and tackier — better in rain, worse for feel. Both are pair-only. Buying direct from Layout through our link takes 12% off at checkout.

Between Friction and Layout the honest answer is fit: the cuts are different, and players who find one uncomfortable frequently love the other. Friction’s single makes it the cheaper experiment.

Who should buy Friction Gloves

Buy them if:

• You play in rain, humidity or cold and lose grip on drives.
• You throw forehand and want more finger grip.
• You want to try a glove for $18.99 without committing to a pair.

Skip them if:

• You play mostly in dry, mild weather — a towel does more.
• You want a glove to putt in (→ try Layout Elite first).
• You want real winter warmth (→ Friction Warm, or an off-hand glove and hand warmers).

Verdict

Friction Gloves are the glove to try first, because they’re the cheapest way to try one and the one the rest are measured against. They don’t turn a dry-weather player into a glove player, and they shouldn’t; they turn a rainy round into a normal one. That’s worth $18.99. For where gloves sit in a first-season budget — near the bottom — see how to choose your first disc golf set.