[Solutions Etcetera]

Hey all,

For a bunch of reasons that I am sure you don't really want to hear about... I've had it with my Guess clip-ons, and am looking to get some Oakley prescriptions made up this week (need bi-focs if I am to be able to see the cheater line on my ball AND the GPS and scorecard). I am not married to Oakley, but I know they're good (plus my optometrist carries them); and I like the square and nano wires from a fit and finish standpoint.

But which lenses? My biggest problem is summer morns and afternoons where the sun is low on the horizon; where there is not a cloud in the sky, and the bright, high elevation (4000-6000ft), mountain sun is brutal. But I play more often in the fall and spring (when the course is cooler and less busy), where there can be a lot of cloud cover.

At three to four hundred bucks each, two pair is not the option I am really looking for, but the Summer sun is the most serious issue.

My eyes aren't all that great anymore so contrast to help track the ball is also important. Based on all of this, what are the best lenses to look at and why?

Really looking for a bunch of opinions here... and since my opto appointment is Thursday; the sooner, the better.

Thanks as always,

-ss

[bcs732]

The golf specific lenses for Oakley is the G30. You don't really have lots of choices.

Check out the Oakley website and type G30 under search.

[hbear]

G30 is my fav.

Some say it's a bit bright (higher light transmission) but I have no problems on super sunny days.
They are great for reading greens.

[HackerD]

For a while I carried two pair depending on brightness but switched to the G30 also. They work well from bright sun to cloudy.

Oakley web site also lists specs in terms of light transmission and of course these do not block as much light as some others. So they would not be the perfect lens for that BRIGHT mountain sun that is right in your eyes. But overall I think best lens for golf.

[sanddog28]

A lot of this comes down to personal preference, and I have always preferred a bronze tinted lenses so I think the titanium lens is the best choice. It’s a little darker than the G30 but if its available in the Rx choices you might want to check it out.

[GolfpunkVT]

i got the fire iridiums lenses for ultra bright days .

[eaglecabport]

I actually just went to my optometrist last week and got a prescription G30 for the Flak Jacket XLJ lens. I do not have them yet but I did a lot of hunting and reading of posts here on GolfWRX and it seemed the G30 was the best. One thing I made sure was NOT to get them polarized as I hear from many that it makes it hard to read greens that way.

I hear the previous poster about the bronze and personal preference - I have seen many different opinions on here about what lens different people say is best but it did seemt o me that the most common answer was an amber tint of some sort and the G30 was the one name that came out most (or if prefer another brand, then similar lens). Also heard some say polarized is fine for reading greens but again, I went with the majority, including a post from an engineer and another from an optometrist (also a golfer) that explained why polarization makes it harder to do things like read greens.

I played with a guy on Sunday that had them and they were darker than I thought they would look as I feared they may not do enough for bright sun but they seemed fine but of course, are not the dark mirrored lens so they will eb brighter.....but that is partly what you need to see contrast and reading greens anyway.

My work insurance covered a chunk of it but since I wanted Oakleys (prefer the sportier look and polycarbonate lense and plastic frame for practicality and fit on my head), it only covered part of the lenses and nothing on the frame.

Good luck and I hope these posts have helped you!

[Cuda Kota]

+1 on the G30 lens!! I have 6 pair of Oakley Half Jackets (yes...I'm that guy) with lenses that range from Black Slate to Fire to Yellow - for Jeep driving ).

The G30 is the best for reading greens - due to the elimination of the blue light spectrum - and is great is all light conditions.

If you go with a Half Jacket frame, you can change lenses, so you can virtually have a "new pair" of sunglasses for $30-50 instead of plunking down another $120. At least that's what my wife has tried to pound into my head.....

[DLiver]

I just got a pair of Flak Jacket Rx sunglasses with the G30 lens. These are very very good glasses for golf. I find them great for a wide range of light conditions.

Since the lenses are interchangeable, I am thinking about getting another set of Rx lenses for cloudy/low-light days. What lens color does Oakley offer for these: clear? slight tint of some sort?

[Solutions Etcetera]

Thanks guys. As always, it appears nothing I want is ever simple. After a little more online research, Oakley makes a lot of noise about their Rx lenses, but their progressive offerings leads one to believe they are farming it out.

It seems there is no G30 offering for progressives in *any* frame. In fact they have just a handful of choices, and the prices start at about $400/pair (just for the lenses). While Oakley goes into no specifics on their site, the internet retailers all seem to list the same choices for progressive lenses...

Image - Clear
Image - Grey Polarized
Image - Gold Iridium Polarized
Image - Bronze Polarized
Image - Black Iridium Polarized
Image - Ice Iridium Polarized
Transitions® - Brown
Transitions® - Grey
Transitions® - Black Iridium w/AR Coating
Transitions® - Emerald Iridium w/AR Coating
Transitions® - Gold Iridium w/AR Coating

Not much of a choice considering the $500-700 they are asking. As I much prefer lined bifocals to progressives, and for this kind of money I can go custom with any frames I want.

We'll see what my opto can offer up on Thursday (hopefully he plays golf).

Thanks again, and if any of you are dual visioned, I would love to hear about what you went with (in fact it might be worth starting another thread.

-ss

[farfrompar]

Has anyone tried the G30 Black Iridium lenses?.

They're supposed to be slightly darker than the standard G30's. According to the Oakley website, 5% darker, 25% vs 30%

[clothier]

as the owner of more sunglasses then I care to admit to, my solution was I made the switch to bi focal contacts.

much easier for me to see, both near, far, and reading, and when I take off my sunglasses to read the greens (in spite of what everyone might say or tell you, you can't seen break with them on) can still see.

your mileage may vary.

[eaglecabport]

clothier, on Aug 12 2008, 03:44 PM, said:

as the owner of more sunglasses then I care to admit to, my solution was I made the switch to bi focal contacts.

much easier for me to see, both near, far, and reading, and when I take off my sunglasses to read the greens (in spite of what everyone might say or tell you, you can't seen break with them on) can still see.

your mileage may vary.

Of course you can read greens with sunglasses on.....it depends upon the lens (polarized vs non-polarized) and the lens tint (the lighter the tint, the more light gets in and then, by definition, the clearer you can see!) and personal preference.

For some, they have more or less difficulty in reading. I hear some say they can read greens great with polarization, some say they cannot. Some say they can read with regular singlasses, others say they cannot. However, based on scientific evidence provided on other posts, non-polarized, less dark lenses allow you to do all just fine. Again, different people have different experiences so hard to make categorical statements until you try for yourself. Sometimes psychological so try it and see what is best for you in this regard.

[sheppy335]

I am using the Polarized Lenses in Black Iridium and i love them. Great in brigth light