Article

Prescription golf sunglasses: what to look for?

Rinse Kijlstra

13 November 2025

A pair of prescription golf sunglasses gives you sharp vision, comfort and optimal protection from bright sunlight. At Specialspex we fully customize your glasses, with the ideal frame and lenses to suit your playing conditions. So you maintain focus and overview on the green.

When choosing prescription golf sunglasses, the frame and lenses are most important. The right combination improves your vision and increases your comfort on the course.

Frame selection

Grip

Grip is a must-have for any prescription golf sunglasses. This helps keep the glasses optically correctly aligned during play. Most sports frames have rubber grips in the legs and silicone nose pads, which help the frame grip better and not move during your swing.

Frame weight

Because you want your prescription golf sunglasses to be comfortable even during a long game, it is important to choose a lightweight plastic frame. Most sports sunglasses are made of TR-90, a very lightweight material. Metal sports glasses usually weigh too much and are therefore not recommended.

Straight legs

Straight legs are ideal for golf sunglasses because they work well under a cap and are easy to put on and take off.

Semi-framed frame

A frame that has no rim at the bottom offers more visibility at the bottom. A fully-framed frame – especially when op-teeing – is less comfortable to look at because you are more likely to see the edge. We therefore recommend half-framed frames.

Lens Technology

Curved glasses

The best golf sunglasses have curved frames, which provide the best peripheral vision and block sunlight from all directions. With a curved frame and curved lenses, you get an optimal field of vision and better protection from UV rays. All of our lenses have 100% UV protection.

Shock resistant material

Our suggestion for lens material is polycarbonate or Trivex. Although there is less risk of getting a golf ball in the face than in some other sports, it is still wise to choose a lens that can take a beating. It is definitely not recommended to choose lenses made of real glass. Glass can break and also makes the glasses heavier.

Contrast enhancing shade

An important factor in choosing a good pair of golf sunglasses is the use of contrast-enhancing lenses, such as pink, copper or brown. Amber is also a good option for golfers who want a lighter color in cloudy weather. These lenses provide the contrast needed to improve depth perception so you can better read the greens.

Mirror coating

If you golf in a sunny area, you’ll want a darker base tint and possibly a mirror coating to give your eyes extra sun protection. Mirror lenses serve two purposes: they reflect excess light and give the glasses a sporty look.

Keep in mind that a mirror coating and the lens tint are often different colors. This means that from the outside, the sunglasses will appear to be one color, while through the lens you will see a different color.

Polarized lenses

Polarized sunglasses are excellent for counteracting glare caused by sunlight reflecting off reflective surfaces. Yet there are drawbacks with wave.

Many golfers find that their depth perception is impaired by polarized lenses. Therefore, most golf sunglasses are not polarized, although some golfers prefer this.

In general, we do not recommend polarized lenses for golf because there is usually little reflective glare on the golf course. Combined with possible interference with depth perception, they often offer little benefit.

Bifocal or progressive lenses

When it comes to prescription golf sunglasses, choosing bifocal or progressive lenses is one of the most common questions we get. The answer is: it depends.

Some golfers find it difficult to wear bifocal or progressive lenses on the golf course because the reading portion of the lens can get in the way when looking at the ball. This can make the ground appear closer than it really is, which can affect performance.

For these golfers, we recommend choosing single lenses. It may then be that the scorecard is less easy to read, but this is a consideration that also depends on the glasses strength. Of course, we can advise you on this.