What Color Lenses For Golf?

Dr. Greg Kaye and Dr. Scott Schlegel represented SkyVision Centers yesterday at the 1st Annual Ken Lee Golf Outing. You may recall that Dr. Lee, was a very close friend of one of our founder's Dr. White and Dr. Lee passed away last year after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The outing raises money for a lecture series in Dr. Lee's honor. SkyVision was a major sponsor of this year's event and Drs. Kay and Schlegel WON! What a great way to introduce our first sunglass color for golf.

All three of our doctors have been lifelong golfers and they have tried pretty much every type of sunglass lens ever made for golf. One important thing to remember before we even start on color is that polarized lenses may NOT be best for golf. Dr. White has noted that typical polarization will make contours appear to be flatter than they really are. This is particularly of concern on the green when you are trying to read the break on a putt.

The optimal color for a golf lens is one that will make the white golf ball stand out against a green background. The lens should also enhance a golfer's ability to tell the difference between different shades of green, and most importantly the lens should increase the recogition of contour changes all over the golf course. The color that best accomplishes this is lavender or purple, a combination of red and blue nearer to blue.

NikeVision makes the golf lens that all of our doctors have been wearing for at least 7 years. The Nike golf tint is a lavender lens with 28% Visible Light Transmission (medium darkening) that can be worn on sunny and bright overcast days alike. Wearing the Nike golf tint make the white golf ball POP against the green background of the course. All of the doctors have found that it significantly enhances their ability to recognize contour while playing. And of course, the Nike lens essentially blocks all harmful UV rays in order to protect your eyes.

So congratulations to our victorious doctors and the very best of luck to the organizers of the Ken Lee Lecture Series!