It’s always nice when a product, any product makes the transition to previewed at Qwowi.com to actually reviewed at Qwowi.com.  Such is the case with The Digital Shield.  Billed as the golf glove for the other hand, Game Theory Inc. President, Justin Salomon was kind enough to send us a sample of their rather unique new product.

When I wrote my preview of the Digital Shield back in May, I mentioned that I thought the name might be better suited for a firewall or other network security device – and apparently I wasn’t the first.  The company, however, appears to be sticking with it, and although some I’ve shown the Digital Shield to are initially puzzled by the name, when I point out it’s intended to shield your digit(als), everyone seems to nod and say, “Oh, now I get it”.  So say what you will about the name, it’s better than what I came up with; the two finger blister protector(izer)…or something.

Moving on…

Construction

Apart from the minor detail that the Digital Shield is missing two complete fingers, plus half of two more, the construction is very similar to that of just about any other golf glove on the market today.  Features include:

• Cabretta leather specially engineered to remain soft to the touch and keep its shape
• Coolmax^® mesh whose wicking properties pull moisture away from the skin
• A spandex gusset that conforms to the unique contours of your fingers
• An unrestricting neoprene wrist band

A back hand view shows the Cabretta leather and Coolmax construction. This design allows the Digital Shield to be both flexible and extremely breathable.

Sizing

The Digital Shield is available in your size (Small, Medium, Medium-Large, Large, Extra-Large), for both men and women.  While sizing should coincide with what you would wear in a “normal” full 5 finger glove, my experience is that it runs ever-so-slightly on the small side.  If you’re a very snug medium, for example, you might want to consider ordering up a size.  If you’ve got a little bit of wiggle room in your current glove, order the matching size and you should be fine.

Wearing the Digital Shield

Slipping the Digital Shield on is fairly straightforward.  As the instructions will tell you, the trick is to insert your fingers first, then your thumb.  If you try and do it the other way, well, it doesn’t work so well.

One of the little things that really impresses me about the Digital Shield is how snugly it fits.  My concern before I tried it on was that the edge of the glove on my palm side would be loose causing it to either wear on my palm, or bunch up close to my thumb.

The rounded edge of the palm-side of the Digital Shield fits snuggly along the base of the hand and manages to avoid solving one problem by creating another.

I was very pleased to see that the very well designed semi-glove (how many ways can I say this), holds it’s shape as it follows the edge of the palm.  No rubbing, no bunching, just a very comfortable, secure fit.

Playing Golf with the Digital Shield

In the past I’ve had some choice words about two-gloved golfers.  I’m still not sure how I feel about one-and-a-half-gloved golvers, but that has more to do with my personal style preferences than it does with the performance of the Digital Shield.

While I certainly appreciate the opportunity to try out the Digital Shield, I’m really not the intended audience.  You’ll never see me with the index and middle finger on my non-glove hand taped up (like Tiger Woods).  First of all, I’m not Tiger Woods (I’m probably no Sam Woods on the golf course).  More importantly, I simply don’t suffer from the same callousing/blistering the Digital Shield is designed to protect…I mean shield against.  Of course, for the sake of providing a complete review, what if was?

The relatively unobtrusive Digital Shield is a more appealing alternative to as a second glove.

The Digital Shield certainly does what it advertises it will.  I wore it for a couple of rounds, and on some trips to the range, and although it’s not heavy, the wear marks on the glove (half-glove anyway) suggest that it did indeed shield my digits from some rubbing a chaffing.

If you do callous or blister on the base of your middle or index fingers, for less than $12 you should seriously consider getting yourself a Digital Shield.

Final Thoughts

Despite being mostly impressed with the Digital Shield, there is one problem that there’s simply no way around.  When I putt, I want the glove (or gloves off).  Unless it’s raining, I, like many others putt barehanded.  I find I get a better feel for the putter.  In fact, I’ll occasionally take of the gloves for those precision chips from around the green as well.

Even though it’s barely half a glove, wearing the Digital Shield means twice as many gloves to take off around the green, and of course, twice as many to put back on when you reach the next tee box.  Eventually I found myself more content just to leave it off – at least when playing.  Golfers who prefer to leave their glove(s) on while putting won’t have the same issues.

At the range, however; the Digital Shield is awesome.  If you’re like me and sometimes hit a few hundred balls in a single range session, anything that can put a layer of protection between the golf club and your hands is an asset.  At the range you won’t find your self putting every 3rd (or 7th) shot, so the nuisance of taking the glove off and putting it on and taking it off and putting it on goes away, allowing the Digital Shield to become another tool in your practice arsenal.  Let the Digital Shield take the abuse at the range and save your hands for the golf course where it counts.

The Digital Shield has a retail price of $11.95 and is available at select pro shops as well as the company website.  For now it’s available in white only, but you can expect to see more color options available in the coming months.