Better Vision: Golf Lenses

Next month at The Masters golf championship, we’ll see Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and other top pros swing, putt, make birdies and safeguard their eyes with specialized sunglasses. Several elite golfers have endorsement deals with frame companies, including Rory McIlroy (Nike Golf), Bubba Watson (Oakley) and Greg Norman (Aspex Eyewear).

No matter what frames they choose, serious golfers pay attention to their lenses, too. A progressive lens like Shamir Golf, which can be put into any wrap frame, is specifically designed for the sport and allows the patient’s Rx to be manipulated to accommodate any distance. Last year, Nike Vision launched the lightweight Golf X2 and X2 Pro sunglass with a newly-expanded frame and lens shape to provide better sun protection for golfers throughout the day. Of course, with this type of lens customization and clarity it’s now harder for your average duffer to make excuses for those banana shots that skew two fairways over!

Spring is here. Now’s the time to market your golf-specific eyewear to passionate golfers who are ready to elevate their game. — CAROL GILHAWLEY

This article originally appeared in the March 2016 edition of INVISION.

Smart Ways to Sell More

Golf Lenses

LAURIE HOLMAN

Eyes On Main, Sauk Centre, MN

➤ We sell two products for golfers: the Maui Jim HT sun lens and Greg Norman Eyewear, our number one selling line in optical for men. The designer of Greg Norman knows what golfers need and want. Its ophthalmic frames and dress sunwear have a great turbo hinge and the performance collection has a memory metal that holds its shape. We fit the Greg Norman frames with a Hoya Rx sun lens or a plano lens. We sell more Rx than non-Rx sun lenses to golfers. Selling is all about having a conversation with your patients and getting to know what they like to do and fitting them appropriately.

DR. PAUL COLLINS

EyeSite of The Villages, Florida

➤ To play golf well, you need to spot the transition zones between the fairway, fringe and rough. You have to gauge distance with accuracy and you need a good eye for grass textures. We ask patients if they have difficulty with any of these things. We recommend Oakley’s Prizm in a ruby color lens (G30) to help spot grass textures. The Prizm offers more depth cues to gauge distance for wedge shots, and when you’re on the green, you can more easily differentiate grass conditions and grain direction. We also offer Tifosi golf sunglasses to those who want a quality product at a less expensive price.

BRUCE KAPLAN

Three Rivers Optical, Pittsburgh, PA

➤ We make an “O” seg for golf that is a patented, digitally surfaced freeform bifocal that uses a patient’s distance power to address the ball with the patient’s add in the corner for marking a scorecard. The “O” seg for golf is adjusted for every patient based on their PD and frame size. ECPs selling golf lenses need to help patients understand the benefits of task-specific lenses. A golfer will often pay $500 to $1,000 for a new putter or driver. The ECP should position golf lenses as another tool in the patient’s golf bag to make their game better. It’s about having an individualized solution for every patient.