For the last 20 years, I've had to wear sunglasses almost every time I play golf. Between being near-sighted and having a damaged left eye, sunglasses help me focus on the golf course and protect my vision.
Needless to say, I'm willing to try most any look or style of lenses to see if it will be both comfortable and a help to my game. Most sunglasses don't wind up standing out, even the ones that claim to offer golf-specific benefits.
However, I found myself truly impressed by a new offering: Tite sunglasses.
I was introduced to Tite sunglasses at the PGA Merchandise Show, with the brand claiming that their patent-pending performance lenses are specifically designed to amplify the green colors on the golf course. Offered the opportunity to try a pair for myself, I picked the Tite 03 frames in white with the Pro Golf lenses in them.
I spent a full week on a golf trip in Orlando wearing my Tites on the course. Four rounds in mostly beautiful, sunny weather -- and one in overcast conditions -- gave me a clear picture of what Tite sunglasses do.
The biggest takeaway was the first, and that was that the lenses really do make the green shades stand out on the golf course. Green colors pop through the Pro Golf lenses. I had to do a double take, just to make sure. The contrast looked even more apparent when looking at dormant Bermuda compared to the bentgrass fairways and greens at ChampionsGate Resort. The difference was helpful in defining my tee shots, and the details of the surfaces became much clearer. The lenses helped create more palpable contrast with other colors on the spectrum, too, though not quite as much as with green and any other color. Then again, green is the overwhelming color on the golf course, particularly in the warmer months.
On a hazy day, it can be tough to read greens because the light kind of makes everything blend together. With regular sunglasses, most lenses just tint everything darker and don't help me distinguish anything when reading putts. These glasses weren't like that. I felt I had more confidence reading the lines with the Tite sunglasses on -- even if I was slightly overreading them that week.
The frames -- and there are five models, available in several different colors -- are outstanding, too. The frames are lightweight, and the Tite 03s have no-slip grip points and a sweat-stopping piece atop the lens frame. What is really innovative is the Tite-Tilt adjustment on the lens arms. The Tite-Tilt adjustment sit on the temple, allowing you to adjust the fit angle either up, down or neutral so that the lenses will fit on your face relative to how you're standing for any particular shot. This seemed especially helpful while putting, though the semi-rimless frames are a great help, too.
While I chose the Pro Golf lenses with a more natural look, the Core Golf lens offers the same benefits with a more stylish mirrored coating. The lens doesn't factor into the price either way, with the models coming in at $200 or $250, depending on the frames.
Sunglasses, in my view, should be a must-have accessory for any golfer. If you're going to spend hours upon hours in the sun, you're going to damage your eyes in the long term without proper protection. Now, you can get the full protection of sunglasses with the added benefit of seeing the golf course in a better way. If that benefit sounds good to you, check out Tite sunglasses, and I promise you'll see what I mean.
