Gloves are most usefull when you take a spill and get road rash. You can live with it on your legs or sides, but when you skin the palms of your hands, you get to find out who your real friends are.
They wont cure a bad position. Many modern road bikes are set up with a very deep aero position, the bars more than 3" below the saddle. This style can put extra weight onto the hands. Check your overall position to make sure it is appropriate for yopur style of riding. For non-racing riding, a slightly more upright touring style can be more comfortable.
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
Once you have your general position set up, there is lots of fine tuning you can do, such as the angle of the bars in the stem, the angle and height of the brake levers , the style of bar (deep or shallow drop). This can take a long time to get right.
You also need time for your body to adapt to riding distance. Stick to 20 mile rides for a week or so, till you get the feel of your bike.