wearing glasses a hindrance for golf?

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G1BB0

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this may have been discussed before so apologies in advance

was having a chat on our round yesterday as me and Viscount both wear glasses and not sure as to whether they help or hinder. I cant see without em but can wear contacts.

I used to play a lot of sport & darts, pool and snooker and couldnt play with them on as had played without until about 26/27 y/o and found the glasses ruined my natural aim and distance judgement

could it be the same for addressing the ball in golf etc?

opinions please :)
 
I have tried playing with contacts in but had trouble focusing on the ball once I had hit it, the only real problem I have with wearing glasses whilst playing is when it starts to rain.
 
I wear both at different times obviously lol..

The pros - Glasses
Worth wearing when its windy, due to eyes watering in the wind.
Good for helping you to keep your head still.

The cons - Glasses
Not good in the rain.
If sunny you may want to wear sun glasses
If wearing reactolite glasses, it takes a moment or two to get the glasses back to a clear lens when walking from the sunshine into the shade.

The Pros - Contact Lenses
No restriction on movement
You can wear sunglasses
It can rain as much as it likes.

The cons
Eyes water when its windy.
Difficult to put replacements in whilst out on the course.
Not having replacements if losing one.
Itchy eyes if you have hayfever during the summer.
 
Hate playing with my specs on as don't feel they feel secure at address when looking down. Also don't like the loss of peripheral vision generally that you get with glasses. Normally wear contacts and only once had a problem (one fell out when rubbing my face!) but had spare dailies in the bag so big deal in the end.

Ray
 
I feel fine when i wear my glasses while laying golf, only problem is when it starts raining.
But if i played without my glasses i would lose the ball as soon as i hit it. then spend the next few hours looking for the ball. So i think i will stick to wearing glasses!!
 
I hate wearing glasses but luckily enough my eyesight is only bad at a distance when things get a bit blurry For example, if a ball heads towards trees I have trouble picking it - or Homer is waving from an adjacent fairway and I can't make out who it is. As long as I keep it straight and Homer wears bright clothes I don't have a problem :D

I tried contacts too but find my eyes get tired so all the time I can get away without them, that's what I'll do
 
I wear glasses all the time and without them I'd only see blurs of everything on the course.

The only thing I have to be mindful of is keeping my chin up when addressing the ball. My glasses encourage me to dip my chin so I can see the ball clearly and to avoid looking under my glasses.
 
I hated wearing glasses for golf especially when I finally needed variafocals. I decided to go for laser treatment and it was brilliant!


Chris
 
I have terrible eyesight (Mr Magoo) and can't get on with contacts at all so it is glasses or nothing. Fortunately I never hit the ball as far as Hawkeye so don't have an issue not seeing it and can recognise my fellow golfer from his cocky stride as he marches after another laser drive or pinpoint approach. Oops that was Hawkeyes playing partner not him :D ;)

It is a real pain in the wet but I usually have a spare hankie in the waterproof to try and keep as much off the lenses as possible and wear a cap with a wide brim. Other than that I don't have a problem
 
Never had a problem wearing glasses. Played cricket to a reasonable level and only had a problem once with them. I have a pair if Oakleys with lenses and wear these if its really bright. :cool:
 
I have a pair of narrow glasses so I can focus on the ball at address below the bottom rim so that's ok but in the rain horrible.
The biggest drawback is the optical aberration when putting as I'm convinced the lens give a false hole position.
 
definitely a problem, especially varifocals. it was proved to me by a pro, with the glasses on I hit everything toe-side of centre, with them off out of the middle. the magnification of the lens means you see the ball as being nearer than it is.
best is if you can play without, second is contacts, third single vision lenses, which is what I'm going to have to do.
 
I wear variofocals as I wouldn't be able to read a scorecard/skycaddy without them. The only problem I have had was with putting. If I don't look through the middle of my specs there is distortion if I look through the top or bottom of the lens.
 
I've worn glasses for years and get on fine with them, the only downside in golf is when it rains.
I reached the big 50 last year though and think I could do with some bifocals but I've heard different reports when it comes to playing golf in them so am putting off the day as long as I can.

On an aside, glasses saved me from a bad accident a while back. I was playing squash and played a drive while close to the front wall and it wasn't one of my better shots, bouncing straight back into my face where it hit my glasses. The lens was popped out and pushed back, covering my eye socket and so preventing the ball from entering it, which is one of the nastier squash injuries.
 
I am short sighted and wear contact lenses most of the time and always play golf in them. I feel it's a more real visual experience. No reflections, distortions, crud, sweat or rain on the lenses. Can also pop on a pair of proper golf sunglasses when required. When it's very windy my eyes can get a bit watery but nothing too bad.

Interesting how few top players/major winners have worn glasses. Can think of Hale Irwin and Tom Kite. Did Vijay wear glasses once upon a time? Must be some others.
 
Interesting how few top players/major winners have worn glasses. Can think of Hale Irwin and Tom Kite. Did Vijay wear glasses once upon a time? Must be some others.
Click to expand...

and Kite's had laser treatment now. Quite a few pro's do wear glasses - just not out on the course.
 
Wear mine all the time, rain and sun can be a problem so I wear a wide brimmed hat (normally a trilby) at all times. I dont let my glasses affect my enjoyment of our great game.
 
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