Our Favorite Pair of Golf Sunglasses Are Just $50

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IF YOU WANT to have the best sunglasses for golf, the last thing you want to do is opt for cheap eyewear. Think about it: you've paid all this money on the best golf clubs, the best golf bag, best golf gloves, and the best golf shoes, so why not invest a little bit more into an area on the course that directly affects how your perform? Crystal clear vision is everything when playing golf, which is why we've come to bring you our top-recommended golf sunglasses.

The editors and writers at Men's Health gathered all our years of knowledge in expertise in playing golf and rounded together the best golf sunglasses for all-day play. Along with testing over 30 pairs of golf sunglasses in the past two years, we've also consulted with eye doctors and sports vision experts to find our favorite pairs.

Best Sunglasses for Golf in 2024

What Color of Lens Is Best for Golf?

Before buying golf sunglasses, make sure to get regular eye exam checks. From what your eye doctor recommends, you can then start incorporating any special features you might need for your golf sunglasses—like prescription lenses. As far as lens tint goes, there are a few different colors that could help with seeing on the course. "Dark green and moderate brown tints have been shown in several studies—as well as claimed by professional golfers—to help give an enhanced reading of the green," says Dr. Randy Fuerst, a VSP network eye doctor, sports vision expert, and avid golfer. "These tints may help a golfer see undulations and slopes more clearly and can help prevent turning a two putt for par into a bogey."

Dr. Fuerst made sure to warn about one specific lens design that's become popular as of late: wrap-around lenses. "Wrap sunglasses that curve around the sides of the face are often recommended for cycling, water sports, skiing and hiking, but I wouldn't advise them for golf," says Dr. Fuerst. "This is because there can be minor distortions at the peripheral edges that can adversely affect the visual calculus that is part of the approach to the ball."

What to Look for When Buying Sunglasses for Golf

Sunglasses are more than just a fashion statement. Dr. Fuerst was able to share a few key points with us when looking for golf shades that help maintain eye health.

Price Point

Buying a cheap pair of sunglasses for golf can greatly affect what Dr. Fuerst points out as optical clarity on the course. "Many inexpensive sunglasses have distorted lenses, but even a slight visual distortion in the lens can change the visual appearance of the ball and may cause unnecessary swing modification," says Dr. Fuerst. To combat buying a pair of golf sunglasses with bad optical clarity, Dr. Fuerst suggests shopping from your eye doctor or a reputable online glasses store.

Prescription

Even if you have a weak prescription, it's worth adding prescription lenses to your golf sunglasses. "As we age, we can develop a minor distance prescription, so don’t be afraid to get a prescription in your sunglasses as needed—I frequently have patients who golf that complain of losing the ball on drives," says Dr. Fuerst. "They insist they only need glasses for reading or working on a computer, but they are actually experiencing a 15-20% drop in visual clarity, contrast sensitivity, and depth perception that commonly comes with aging." The good news is most quality golf sunglasses are available for prescription, Dr. Fuerst recommends.

UVA and UVB Protection

Just like buying any pair of sunglasses, make sure your frames offer sun protection. Dr. Fuertes maintains that your golf sunglasses should offer 100% protection form UVA and UVB rays. "Sun damage to the eyes can begin in as little as 15 minutes, and the damage is cumulative and can build over time leading to a variety of eye-related health conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and even eyelid cancer," says Dr. Fuertes. This is all to say, make sure you're buying your sunglasses from reputable stores.

How We Selected

For the past two years, Men's Health editors and writers have been testing tons of golf sunglasses to find the best ones for the course. To narrow down our favorites, we evaluated golf sunglasses on lens design, frame quality, style, and price point. We also considered golf sunglasses mentioned in popular golf forums, like r/golf on Reddit, for community favorite picks that are lesser known to the general public.

We can't guarantee a new pair of golf sunglasses will improve your vision, but we can say it's likely you'll notice some kind of gain in clarity on the course—at the very least, you'll get sun protection for your eyes. Many of these pairs below can fill a prescription too, so if you need to get a pair of golf sunglasses altered to your vision requirements you can go the next step and get that taken care of. Now, let's get to the list.

Nike Ace Driver Polarized

Just like any pair of shades, golf sunglasses can sky rocket in price. Some are worth the dough, while others are just trying to sell you on the style. The Nike Ace Driver is definitely worth the price tag. Allow us to explain.

For starters, the Ace Driver frame is made from titanium, leading it to be the lightest pair of sunglasses we tested without any compromise to durability. The silicone nose pads and temple tip offer elite comfort and lock-tight grip (even against sweat).

As for the lens, Nike outfitted the Ace Driver with a polarized lens, which is helpful from driving off the tee box when the sun is beaming right in your face. The best detail about the lens, though, is the brown Course Tint color. Like Dr. Fuerst mentioned, a moderate brown tint has shown to enhance readings on the green. Remember, Dr. Fuerst noted the moderate brown tint can help see undulations and slopes more clearly too.

We took all this lens info into account before playing a round in the Driver. After play, we found the Driver provides exceptional course clarity, especially when the sun is beaming down right at noon. We found the combination of the polarization and the brown tint helped provide a comfortable viewing experience, with no eye strain. optimal viewing of the course terrain, and clear spotting of a white golf ball.

Last to consider about the Driver shades is their potential as an everyday pair of sunglasses. We had several comments on how stylish they looked, and the fact they have polarization makes them even more appealing for wear outside of golf. The verdict: absolutely consider buying these if you're willing to pay a premium. The investment is well worth the purchase.

Tifosi Rivet Sunglasses Crystal Smoke (Enliven Golf)

You can find a pair of Tifosi sunglasses for as low as $25. However, if you want to get the most bang for your buck, especially when it comes to sport shades, we recommend going up to this $50 pair of Rivets. The familiar silhouette is made with a thermoplastic frame and polycarbonate lenses, which means you're getting a virtually indestructible pair of sunglasses.

What makes the Rivet so great for golf is its outfitted Crystal Smoke lens with Enliven Golf tech. The Enliven tech helps highlight the contrasts on the course, pulling the color of the golf ball while also revealing hidden slopes on the green. When playing with the Rivet ourselves, we definitely could tell a difference in how the lenses created starker contrast. If you were to compare a $50-$100 of your everyday shades to the Rivet with Enliven lenses, the Rivet would be the obvious choice to use for golfing every time.

The Rivet comes in a sport design most of us have worn before, so there's no unexpected digging or inconveniences. The rubber pieces on the nose and temples hold firm, but not too tight. Overall, the comfort level is moderate. The plastic frame is a little heavy and thick when compared to the premium eyewear picks we have on this list. Alas, you have to remember you get what you pay for. If you want to prioritize the best comfort, you'll likely be set back $150-$200 a pair.

Perhaps you are new to golf and have discovering you need a dedicated pair of golf sunglasses? Or maybe you already have a pair of sunnies you like and need a back up pair? The Rivet makes sense in these types of scenarios, plus many more. Start here in your search before looking at the more expensive picks.

Holbrook Prizm

Oakley is a chosen go-to for pro-golfers like Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, and Hideki Matsuyama At the core of Oakley's golf sunglasses is the Prizm lens, which is hailed by many for its ability to absorb the right amount of light and create an ideal contrast between a white golf ball and the greens. The shades are even great when approaching to putt—which is worth highlighting because some high-quality shades can clash with putting greens and creating a grainy look.

You can buy Prizm lenses in polarized and non-polarized lenses, but since there's not much glare to combat when golfing, we loved how we could select the non-polarized Prizm lenses and save the extra cash. There are tons of Oakley styles to choose from, so really any model with the Prizm lens fitted is worth checking out. When looking for a timeless pair of shades that would translate well for wearing off the course, the Holbrook models proves to be most versatile.

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Sungear Kite Polarized Sunglasses

Already have a set of Callaway clubs? Take your brand loyalty a step further and go with a pair of Callaway sunglasses, which have several excellent models that are perfect for play. We especially enjoy the Sungear Kite. You can grab a pair for well under $100 while still getting premium features like a strong featherweight frame and sharp polarized lenses. The lenses work great at opening up light to see the ball and help get a read of the greens, all while limiting eye strain and over-focusing that can dry a player's eyes out.

What's cool is that you even get a nice carrying case with your purchase. Considering popping a pair of these in your golf bag so they're always on-hand when playing.

Polarized Rectangular Sunglasses

Maui Jim's premium lens design and timeless style has led athletes to gravitate to its shades, and after testing a pair it's no wonder why. We went with the bronze lens—the most popular for golfers—and found the tint proved exceptionally well at spotting the ball through the air and providing just the right contrast without warping colors too much. The nylon frame was high on comfort too, and after hours of play we were happy to notice there was no uncomfortable digging on the ears or nose.

These are one of the most expensive pairs of shades on this list, but golfers should understand these are a set-it-and-forget-it pair of sunglasses you can wear on and off the course.

Reefton Pro Polarized

Costa's shades are marketed towards fishing, but we found that is advanced lenses also worked great on the golf course. The Reefton has been a favorite among golfers for its ability to get a gentle read of the course without too much contrast. The comfortable fit and long-lasting durability of Costa is worth bragging about too.

Surprisingly enough, Costa is one of the few brands that gets really close to surpassing Oakley's golf sunglasses in terms of performance—and that's saying something.

Prescription availability: Yes

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Meet the Expert

• Dr. Randy Fuerst is an optometrist with 40 years experience and a an eye doctor within the Vision Service Plan (VSP) network. Dr. Fuerst is also a sports vision expert, and he served as the team optometrist for professional teams like the Sacramento Kings, San Francisco 49ers, and San Jose Sharks between 1988-2007. When Dr. Fuerst is not serving patients, the chances are he's golfing. Dr. Fuerst's ability to cross-reference his knowledge as an eye doctor and his ability to break down what makes a pair of sunglasses good for golf is a key reason we interviewed him.

More on the Best Lens Tints for Golf

Darker tints have been shown to help provide enhanced readings of the green. The difference in buying a tint that's optimized for golf is a potential to see the dips (undulations) and slopes on a golf course more clearly—this is especially true when putting. Some golf sunglasses utilize a rose or purple color tint. These are typically more expensive, but the theory behind this color is that it helps remove the red and yellow hues from grass. That makes an enhanced contrast between the golf ball and the green.

In terms of what lens tints to avoid, Dr. Fuerst says to look into the level of illumination of the course and selecting tints that help with depth perception. "If you are playing an ocean view course, or a high desert rock-strewn course, the light levels will be much brighter than a shaded woodland links," says Dr. Fuerst. "Darker lenses are much more appropriate for courses with harsh light and brighter background, while lighter tints are more appropriate for a heavily shaded course or cloudy and overcast days. "

Do Polarized Lenses Help in Golf?

Polarized lenses are not as important on the golf course as they are in everyday life. This is due to the lack of spots where glare can occur on a course, which is what polarized lenses help reduce. In fact, polarized lenses can cause warped vision at points on the course and even mess with trying to hit the ball. The biggest example of this is when you're putting, as the lenses can over-focus on the crisp putting greens and create a weird grainy effect.

Polarized lenses can be helpful though, especially when playing near water and the sun is reflecting off it. We don't really have a strong opinion on buying polarized versus non-polarized. Instead, we want to let it be known that polarized lenses are not a must-have for your golf sunglasses.

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