Good vision is everything on the links. Seeing the fairway, striking the ball, reading the green — all that depends on visual clarity. In addition to having good clubs and apparel, you’ll also need the best golf sunglasses to shoot a low score.
There are many golf sunglasses out there, but choosing the right pair doesn’t have to be as difficult as deciding between a nine-iron or a wedge. By knowing what features to look for, you can find golfing sunglasses that will ace every round. This guide goes over the important considerations when shopping for golf eyewear.
Jump to:
- Lens Tint
- UV Protection
- Non-Polarized
- HEV Light Blocking
- Light Transmission
- Lens Quality
- Anti-Fog
- Frame Design
Lens Tint
Golf sunglasses lens tint goes much deeper than looking good. The color of your lenses changes how light is filtered and how you see the course. You want a tint that gives you clear vision in both sunny and cloudy conditions. It also needs to provide sufficient contrast for distinguishing fairways, greens, and hazards.
A rose, purple, or copper tint is generally the best lens color for golf sunglasses. These lenses offer great contrast against the green of the golf course and make it easy to identify your golf ball. Golf HD+'s proprietary copper-rose tint is engineered to suppress the overabundance of green light in the golf environment while boosting red and yellow light to create course-specific contrast. This allows the eyes to pick up the subtleties of the green before you line up your putt. The color also provides contrast against the sky, so you don’t need to squint to track your shot.
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Golf HD+
UV Protection
Your eyes are constantly exposed to UV rays during a round of golf, even when the sun is behind a cloud. Regular UV exposure can lead to serious eye health issues, including sunburn, cataracts, macular degeneration, and cancer. UV protection is a must-have for golf sunglasses.
According to the According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the most important thing to look for when buying sunglasses for golf or any other activity is that they have 100% UVA and UVB protection. Poor-quality lenses that do not block UV rays damage the eye even worse than not wearing sunglasses; the eyes are dilated due to the tint shading, which allows more rays to hit the pupil. All the lenses that we use at RIA are 100% UVA/B protective, so your eyes are properly shielded.
Golf Sunglasses: Polarized or Not?
Should your golf sunglasses be polarized or non-polarized? Wearing polarized sunglasses is ideal for many everyday activities, such as driving and beach days. In golf, though, non-polarized sunglasses are the better choice. Polarized filters are constructed to cut down on horizontal reflected glare. The mechanism that reduces glare also flattens the image you see. This hurts depth perception and makes it more difficult to time your swing optimally.
Horizontal glare is seldom a problem in golf. As such, you should use non-polarized golf sunglasses for optimal depth perception. All our current golf lenses are non-polarized, so you get more accurate swing timing.
HEV Light Blocking
High-energy visible (HEV) light is the harshest blue light on the visible spectrum. You’ve likely heard about blue light filtering when it comes to computer and phone screens — but the sun also emits HEV light. Prolonged exposure can cause eye strain, discomfort, fatigue, retinal damage, premature aging, and many other issues. In combination with our Spectra Blue mirror, the Golf HD+ lens filters out the abundance of harsh blue light in the 400-420nm range that can strain your vision. Blue light-blocking golf glasses keep your eyes relaxed and refreshed throughout a long round.
Light Transmission
The amount of light the lenses allow to reach your eyes is known as visible light transmission (VLT). If a lens has 15% VLT, it will transmit 15% of available light. Too high a percentage for the lighting conditions will lead to eye strain and fatigue; too low a percentage will make everything look dark, hurting overall vision.
In golf, lighting conditions change frequently, and sunglasses with a VLT of 20-30% are usually best for keeping up. RIA’s Golf HD+ lenses have 24% light transmission for an extensive range of light conditions from sunny to overcast days.
High-Quality Lenses
Golf is a sport of precision. Striking the ball a millimeter off can cause it to land 50 yards from where you wanted. Using cheap, low-quality lenses can cause distortion that significantly hampers your game. Straight lines become curved, and objects might appear to be a few inches away from where they should be. Resulting performance issues range from mistimed swings to nausea and dizziness. Distortion is particularly prevalent in high-wrap sunglasses if the lenses are not made by a high-quality manufacturer. That’s why we partnered with ZEISS to ensure that even our highest-wrap styles provide zero distortion for the highest-performing and most comfortable visual experience possible.
Anti-Fog
Sunglass fogging is a common problem on hot, humid days or if there is a big temperature swing from a sudden rainstorm. When water vapor lands on sunglass lenses, it condenses into a foggy mess. Anti-fog coatings will reduce the effects for better vision. Some coatings are better than others, though, and you get what you pay for. At RIA Eyewear, we utilize ZEISS’s premium anti-fog technology, a chemically bonded coating applied to both sides of the lens before it is cut, ensuring longevity and the ability to withstand heavy use.
Frame Design
Now that you’ve settled on the right lenses, it’s time to understand how to pick the frame they should be housed in. A wraparound design provides better coverage and peripheral vision, minimizing the risk of sun and glare coming in from the sides. The wraparound design also ensures your sunglasses stay in place throughout your swing and offers an extra layer of protection, shielding your eyes from sunlight, wind, and debris from all sides. Most of our golf sunglasses are high-wrap (Model One and Vantage), but even our hybrid performance lines (Forte, Nova and Response) offer a more wrapped design than your everyday sunglasses.
Finally, golfers need sunglasses that are lightweight and durable. Heavy frames can be uncomfortable during a long round, while flimsy frames may not withstand drops or are accidentally sitting on them in the cart. Nylon is a lightweight yet sturdy thermoplastic material, making it the preferred material for golf sunglasses. We use lightweight nylon exclusively in all our performance frames.
Wearing the best sunglasses for golf is like having a not-so-secret tool for success. By emphasizing lens tint and UV protection while making sure the glasses have functional features, durable materials, and a comfortable design, you’ll be in a great position to go low. Grab a pair of premium golf sunglasses and see the difference in your game.
