a better sunglass color for golf?

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Gus - 19 Jul 2004 16:16 GMT

I'm a 48 year who is determined to try and play golf even though I
have difficulty following the ball in the sky after I hit it.

I suffer from strabismus and so that puts me at a disadvantage in
tracking the ball in flight. And I am also light-sensitive (partial
colorblindness, too) and my real problem is following the white ball
against the white background of clouds and light blue skies. I can see
it about half the time.

I just learned that the color of eyeglasses can make a difference in
contrast -- I've been using polarized dark gray which generally work
well but apparently it's not the best shade for seeing contrast.
(marketers who sell "golf sunglasses" are focused on the issue of
"seeing the greens" or subtle curves in the grass.)

I'm confident I would benefit from the right color because I have no
problem seeing the ball when it is against the backdrop of trees -- it
is easier for me to see the white against the sharper contrast of
green than against the bright sky.

I'm on something of a crusade to try and solve this problem -- my
opthamologist wasn't much help. His suggestion was to get a caddy.

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Mark A - 19 Jul 2004 17:34 GMT

> I'm a 48 year who is determined to try and play golf even though I
> have difficulty following the ball in the sky after I hit it.
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> I'm on something of a crusade to try and solve this problem -- my
> opthamologist wasn't much help. His suggestion was to get a caddy.

Yellow, orange, and red (in increasing order) will increase contrast,
especially in sunlight. Most shades of brown will also help (which is the
most likely shade of sunglasses you will find unless you get "driving"
glasses or "Blue-Blockers").

I also have a hard time seeing the golf ball after I hit it. However, most
people play with others in a group, and just ask them to watch the ball
closely because of your eye problems. It is rare that one can go off as a
single at most golf courses.

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The Real Bev - 19 Jul 2004 21:51 GMT

> > I'm confident I would benefit from the right color because I have no
> > problem seeing the ball when it is against the backdrop of trees -- it
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> > I'm on something of a crusade to try and solve this problem -- my
> > opthamologist wasn't much help. His suggestion was to get a caddy.

You have to find medical practitioners who like the same recreations you
do, otherwise they just don't understand. A skier with knee problems
is not likely to be helped by an orthopedic specialist who regards
walking around the block as "exercise".

> Yellow, orange, and red (in increasing order) will increase contrast,
> especially in sunlight. Most shades of brown will also help (which is the
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> closely because of your eye problems. It is rare that one can go off as a
> single at most golf courses.

They don't make day-glo green or orange golf balls, or are they only
made by inferior manufacturers? Green tennis balls are pretty much
standard now, but I always favored orange.

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Bev
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g - 20 Jul 2004 00:51 GMT

The problem with yellow or orange balls is that they're harder to spot once
the ball is in the grass.

"blue blockers" the way I have heard them described don't sound like they
would work beause it's not really the blue sky that is a problem, it's the
gray and white clouds that offer no contrast.

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Mike Tyner - 20 Jul 2004 01:17 GMT

> "blue blockers" the way I have heard them described don't sound like they
> would work beause it's not really the blue sky that is a problem, it's the
> gray and white clouds that offer no contrast.

"BB" lenses have two things going for them.

1) Blue light scatters more than other colors, inside the eye, and floaters
are bluish.

2) Monochrome filters eliminate chromatic dispersion, which takes away a
little blur.

Shooters like BB lenses because the acuity can be just a smidge better when
you're targeting.

In golf, the best ball color would have to be white, unless you get the ones
with little GPS transponders.

-MT

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Rishi Giovanni Gatti - 20 Jul 2004 20:24 GMT

> In golf, the best ball color would have to be white, unless you get the ones
> with little GPS transponders.

But, a natural perfect sighted man will have no problem with any color.

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