Golf and glasses......

[golfbluecustard]

Well the time has come to acknowledge to myself i need glasses for golf, as saying i didn't see it is getting more frequent, and 9 holes twilight alone has meant i few too many lost balls....

My new prescription is bi / varia focul - looking online have read for golf you should only get the distance part?

Any one got any experience of this?

Thanks

GBC

 

[chrisd]

I struggled when I first needed glasses, bifocals were useless, especially for putting so I had to have a pair of distance glasses just so I could play golf. After that I had laser vision correction which was brilliant but recently a detached retina and a cataract have started to give me problems again. Definitely get some distance glasses as bifocals are very likely make golf difficult

 

[KenL]

I have bad eyesight, always have.
I've been wearing contacts for golf for 20 years or more.
Much better in the rain and for reading putts.
I now wear varifocal specs but optician suggested a change in the power of one contact so I can see closeup, scorecard etc - works a treat.

 

[rosecott]

I've been wearing contacts longer than Ken - 44 years - and switched to multifocal contacts about 15 months ago. Just the job for me.

 

[Imurg]

Been wearing specs for 35 years and varifocals for nigh on 20.
I cant say I've ever had an issue...

 

[arnieboy]

Same as Imurg, never had a problem with varifocals, been wearing them for years.

 

[SteveJay]

I have worn varifocals for about 10 years but as mentioned above, think single vision are better for golf. I have recently gone back to contacts for golf and also have differing strengths in each eye, which is a compromise, allowing me to see distant objects whilst retaining the ability to see a scorecard or GPS watch clearly. I needed to do something to avoid having to carry reading glasses too. Contacts also allow me to wear standard sunglasses in the summer rather than needing prescription lenses. That opens up the golf specific sun glasses market at a cheaper price than needing specialist lenses fitted.
Saying that, I have played in varifocals a couple times and can manage just about. However, I left my contacts at home once when playing badminton. Playing that in varifocals was a disaster - couldn't adjust to the difference between the top and bottom of the lens

 

[KenL]

I've been wearing contacts longer than Ken - 44 years - and switched to multifocal contacts about 15 months ago. Just the job for me.

They sound good. Are they expensive?
I pay £22 for 30 pairs daily disposables from specsavers. Cheaper options available online too.

 

[GG26]

My putting coach advised against wearing bifocals for golf. His experience of this was his own father whose putting went to pot when he started to wear them and thinking back my putting got worse last year when I started using mine for golf. As I have a spare pair, which are single vision, it is easy enough to swap over to these for golf.

I have also read that sunglasses are not good for reading greens.

 

[Biggleswade Blue]

I have recently moved over to vari-focals. It has not affected my golf one iota. I was rubbish before, and remain rubbish.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I am the original Mr Magoo without my specs. It can be a pain in the rain so I carry a couple of cleaning cloths in a plastic sandwich bag if I know rain is forecast. I also got reactalight so they go darker in the sun which makes life a lot easier when it is bright. I wouldn't get vari or bi focal for golf but that is nothing more than a personal choice

 

[rosecott]

They sound good. Are they expensive?
I pay £22 for 30 pairs daily disposables from specsavers. Cheaper options available online too.

I pay £30 a month to Specsavers on the basis of 5 pairs a week, use varifocal specs or cheaper single vision contacts on the other 2 days.

 

[ManinBlack]

I know people who cannot play in varifocals. I have never had a problem but I think that it may be because there's not a big difference between my reading & distance prescriptions. For about 20 years I got by with just one prescription & only changed when I couldn't focus on the computer screen. I can still read without my specs & just about drive (illegally!) without them. You should ask your optician's advice.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I normally wear varifocal lens glasses these days after abut 30yrs wearing single vision contact lenses, until a few years ago my eyes could adjust well enough for near and distance work with contacts (or did someone tell me that the optician prescribed one lens closer to what I needed for distance and one closer to what I needed for close - dunno - may just be an old wives tale) - but age...

Unfortunately I find the quite significant optical 'shift' I see under the bottom edge of my glasses just too disconcerting for me when addressing the ball to be able to play wearing them (and I also can't be bothered with rain and steaming up through perspiration on a hot day), and so I wear single vision distance contact lenses for golf. Bit of a nuisance when it comes to reading the rule book during the round (as if...) - but it works for me.

As it happens my varifocal glasses are probably needing replaced and will look into what can be done varifocal-wise with contact lenses as I prefer to wear contact lenses whenever practical. For golf but also for mask wearing - contact lens seem a less steamy proposition.

 

[KenL]

Horrible thought that mask wearing is a consideration of what you wear these days.

 

[howbow88]

I used to wear glasses, then I had lenses for a month and they were great, but fiddly as hell. So I got mine lasered and playing without glasses is just a bloody dream

 

[jim8flog]

I tried several types of glasses for golf when I needed them
What did not work well was bi or vari focal, very small or or even medium frames.

What I settled for was aviator style with thin metal frames. There is no part of the frame that interferes with the vision when looking down at the ball and because the glasses are large there is a very good area of 'true ' focus within the lens.

I can recommend

selectpsecs.com

where you can try several styles at a very reasonable cost. Their glasses start from just £6, so cheap I have got pairs all over the house, car and golf locker to save me having to go back to a room when I forget them.

Just done a quick check and seen that are not as cheap on some styles as they were pre lockdown but still cheaper than well known shops. I bought the aviators when they were £15 now £25 but the price includes single vision lenses

 

[davidy233]

I got glasses for the first time last year and they are varifocals - I've not found any problem playing golf in them, other than having to put a baseball cap on if it rains.

Major advantage is I can see the flight of the ball much better.

 

[Beedee]

I wear varifocals all the time, except for golf. With the varifocals on, the ball goes blurry when I address it. I found it really off-putting so now I've got a pair of prescription sunglasses and normal glasses set to my distance prescription.

I can see the ball ok, but I now I can't see the card clearly. Can just about get by with taking them off when I mark the card but in a few years time it's going to be more awkward.

The glasses steaming up, or getting cover in drizzle is a real pain. I thought about contacts but I hate the thought of fiddling with my eyes.

 

[Foxholer]

Been wearing specs for 35 years and varifocals for nigh on 20.
I cant say I've ever had an issue...

Meaning you are just as bad with them as you are/would be without them!
I carry my reading glasses with me when playing, but hardly use them. Eyesight is fine for distance (certainly mine!).