Have you tried to read the golf course with the sun blaring behind you?
While golf is surely a game of control and skill, very little can be accomplished if the golfer doesn’t adapt himself to the climatic conditions impacting the golf course.
During extreme temperatures, a good pair of sunglasses can be a godsend. Since golf is played all-round the year, a professional, yet stylish pair of glasses can ensure that you perform well in this visually challenging sport.
Having the best sunglasses means being ‘sun-wise’. A pair of suitable sunglasses accompanied by an annual eye exam is the pre-requisite of a successful game.
Today I am going to discuss with you the 5 best-golfing sunglasses available for golfers. While these sunglasses are used for almost all outdoor sports and recreational activities, they still have peculiar characteristics that make them fit to be used on the golf course.
Let’s have a quick look at our top 5 picks:
- Oakley Flak 2.0 XL Sunglasses
- Adidas Kumacross 2.0 Sunglasses
- Maui Jim Ho’okipa Sport
- Under Armour Igniter 2.0 Sunglasses
- Tifosi Jet Sunglasses
1. Oakley Flak 2.0 XL Sunglasses
“It’s never crowded along the extra mile.” True to this adage, the Oakley Flak 2.0 XL’s specifications are a living proof of the length it has gone to provide a top-quality product.
Specifications:
- Three-Point Structural Design: The Three-Point structural design ensures that the frame fits all face sizes. The frames are optically aligned to the golfer’s face, which reduces the chances of the frame moving during shots and also reduces the hot spots on your face after removing them.
- Prizm 2018 Collection Prizm™: Golfers come across a wide range of bright colors and flares while playing on the course. The PRIZM lens ensures that noisy colors are filtered out and sensitive colors are enhanced. So whether it is the hue of the blue sky or the green grass, Oakley 2.0 XL makes spotting the golf ball easier.
- Unobtanium® Secure Grip: The nose pads and the temple arms are made of Oakley’s patented Unobtanium material that provides excellent rubbery grip even when the golfer is sweating.
- Semi-Rimless Face: A golfer frequently looks down at the green, either to align his shot or adjust the positioning of the ball. With a semi-rimless lens, a golfer can have an unobstructed view of the green.
Let’s Review and Compare
- Oakley’s High Definition Optics provides optimal clarity and sharp vision at all angles. A mid-handicapper will prefer Oakley over other products to enhance his shots.
- By far, Oakley can be termed as the best eye-glasses in terms of style, visual appeal, and comfort.
- Oakley needs to improve on its custom-fitting features. Golfers with large faces would find it difficult to find the best fit for their head size.
- The PRIZM lens is by far the best feature that differentiates it from the rest. Golfers prefer wearing the Oakley as it offers a high definition view of the golf course when on the fairway.
- While the flashy pink-hued lens may look stylish, it may not be of good taste to some of the professional tour players.
2. Adidas Kumacross 2.0 Sunglasses
Whether it is a training session or a vigorous golfing session during the sunny season, the Adidas Kumacross 2.0 promises to stay on your face! Designed in collaboration with top sports athletes, the Kumacross 2.0 fulfils all your needs on the golf course.
Specifications:
- Hypoallergenic SPX™ frame material: Each golfer comes with different face settings, so Adidas’ Kumacross with its SPX™ frame material helps each player to comfortably fit the frame regardless of the varying contours of their face. The Hypoallergenic material on the frame ensures stability, durability, and force-resistance.
- Wraparound design: Golfers who are active on the golf course need sunglasses that can be forgotten once worn. The wraparound design ensures protection for the eyes whether one is driving the cart or walking around the course. The rim is designed to keep sunlight away from the eyes, widen the viewing radius and sit tight on the golfer’s head.
- Quick-Change Lens System™: Adidas’ Lens changing system helps golfers to quickly replace their lens when the light condition on the course changes. Quick change of lenses assures maximum visual comfort while keeping the right fit.
- Full-rim frame: Kumacross 2.0 comes with a fully outlined rim that ensures that the glasses withstand inadvertent drops while using it on the field. Players can also change their lenses quickly on full-rim glasses. Apart from making them sturdy, it also adds a dab of style to the golfer’s personality.
Let’s Review and Compare
- The full-rimmed frame of the Adidas may increase the style quotient, but will put-off players who prefer wide-angle peripheral view of the course.
- An excellent feature of the Adidas that makes it better than other sunglasses is its Quick-Change Lens System. Very few sunglasses offer a seamless lens changing experience.
- The wraparound design also scores above the rest as it adds a second layer of assurance that the glasses will remain fit on the golfer’s head. The first layer is the frame material itself.
- While Adidas promises a top-quality product, like the Oakley, it comes at a comparatively expensive price than most of the other sunglasses brands.
3. Maui Jim Ho’okipa Sport
Inspired by the Hawaiian word for ‘Hospitality’, Maui Jim Ho’okipa Sport Sunglasses shows sincere hospitality to the wearer by providing a rimless design topped by a super thin glass.
Specifications:
- Polarized rimless sunglasses: Maui Jim sunglasses provide a clear and distraction-free viewing experience with the absence of rigid outlines to the frame. For a golfer, the rimless frame provides a maximized view of the golf course. Since golfers rapidly move their heads and eyes to-and-fro from the green to the sky, the Maui Jim allows the golfer to concentrate on his shot rather than struggle to adjust his viewing angles.
- Gloss Black Frame and Neutral Grey Lens: A black frame adds style, while the grey lens reduces light refraction arising out of bright colors. The glass frame is made up of Grilamid material that adds durability and flexibility to the otherwise lightweight frame. The excellent combination ensures that the golfer doesn’t suffer from fatigue or a headache even after staying out longer on the course.
- MauiPure Lens Material: MauiPure Lens material is polarized to provide the golfer 100% protection from UV rays. The Lens material has a silicone coating on the ultra-thin glass that provides scratch and shatter-protection. The wider rimless lens provides a wide-angle view.
Let’s Review and Compare
- Maui Jim’s lightweight and flexible sunglasses make it look weaker and fragile than other products. Some golfers may find it easier to handle the Adidas Kumacross than the Maui Jim.
- Maui Jim’s Polarised lens is better compared to other lenses as they eliminate the chances of random flashes of loud colors on the eyes.
- Compared to the Adidas and Oakley, Maui Jim’s grey lens provides excellent color gradation to emphasize light colors.
- Maui Jim could have improvised on the frame material as some golfers find the simple black frame a bit cheap and less sturdy.
- With a Polarized MauiPure lens material, it offers a good quality product at a reasonable price. High-handicappers and beginners can use the Maui Jim and invest money into other accessories.
4. Under Armour Igniter 2.0 Sunglasses
The Under Armour Igniter 2.0 is made for those who live an athletic life. With the Igniter, a golfer can play an excellent game under the summer sun. Under Armour is one of the top sports brand in the world and with its Igniter 2.0, it delivers what it promises.
Specifications:
- Ultra-light ArmourFusion® frames: Under Armour has used a fusion of Grilamid and Titanium to design their sunglasses. Both the materials are extremely sturdy and can withstand extreme temperatures. Considering an active golfer’s lifestyle, the Under Amour’s frame can be put to good use.
- ArmourSight® lens technology: The innovative ArmourSight technology provides 20% more visual clarity as the outer edges of the lens are not darkened. This increases the peripheral vision and the overall durability of the lens. The lens is 10 times stronger than other polycarbonate lenses.
- Multiflection™ lens coating: UA’s lens coating is not only water-resistant but smudge-proof too. The Multiflection coating ensures optimum reflection by low light transmission and eliminates the possibilities of possible wear-and-tear when put to continuous use.
- UA AUTOGRIP Temples: Autogrip technology allows for more arm flexibility to suit the golfer’s head size. The Temple Grips combined with the ArmourFusion frames provide the golfer a product that is strong, resilient and comfortable to wear.
Let’s Review and Compare:
- Under Armour’s lens material is the toughest of all. Given its strength to withstand aggressive outdoor activities, golfers can be completely sure that the lens will perform under any extreme conditions arising on the golf course.
- The ArmourSight lens technology is better than Adidas and Oakley as it provides more visual clarity.
- While the frame is strong and resilient, it still misses the sleek design and visual appeal. Professional golfers may find that it looks more like plastic and may prefer not to wear it on professional tours.
5. Tifosi Jet Sunglasses
Known as the ‘mid-range eyewear’, Tifosi certainly provides value for money. With its product, Tisofi has shown that it has carefully studied the facial anatomy of the golfer while designing the glasses.
Specifications:
- Glare Guard™ Lens Coating: Tifosi’s Glare Guard Lens coating helps reduce bright flares and reflections that may greatly disturb golfers strike.
- Grilamid TR-90 Nylon Frame: The frame is built with Grilamid nylon material that allows it to be durable even after aggressive use. Even when strained, the bending strength of the frame would ensure that it returns to its original shape. The material offers higher resistance to UV rays too.
- Adjustable rubber nose piece: The adjustable nose pieces are made with hydrophilic rubber that provides excellent grip as it gets tackier on contact with sweat.
Let’s Review and Compare
- Tifosi caters to players with mid-sized faces. People with larger faces will need to check the fit precisely to ensure that the glasses are worth their money.
- Some golfers may feel that the Tifosi would be of a cheaper quality compared to other products at the higher end of the spectrum.
- Regarded as the best unisex glasses, the Tifosi avoids most of the manly features of the sunglasses, making it comfortable for women as well.
- Like the Maui Jim, Tifosi comes with good quality features at an affordable price.
Final Words on Best Golf Sunglasses for Reading Greens
Each golfer wants to have sunglasses that suit both – his game and his face. His eyes need the same protection that the skin needs.
While looking stylish may be a priority; however, a golfer needs to purchase a pair of sunglasses that helps him to see his shot and which provides a peripheral view of the golf course.
What are your favorite golf sunglasses? What makes you choose it? We would like to hear from you in our comments section below.