Florida Times Union
June 11, 2006
By GARRY SMITS, The Times-Union

There used to be a myth that wearing sunglasses on the golf course distorted depth perception and the grain of greens, but PGA Tour winners such as David Duval, Fuzzy Zoeller and Frank Lickliter have rendered that meaningless. So buying Dad a pair of nifty sunglasses just for the golf course might be a better gift than a dozen balls.

Three companies, in particular, make good golf sunglasses.

The first is locally based Ocean Waves, started by Kevin Carlson. He's a local angler who developed a pair of sunglasses for deep-sea fishing, and it has evolved into a line of eye wear that makes fashion statements, as well as being functional for almost any outdoor activity.

I could go into great detail about the technology involved, but space doesn't permit, and www.oceanwaves.com is a great Web site that explains all. Suffice to say that Carlson has 43 styles of frames and polarized lens colors for every occasion. For golf, the company recommends the "backwater green," lens, which I have found brings out not only the grain of the greens but the slope.

Ocean Waves glasses are available at the Sunrise Surf Shop in Jacksonville Beach, the Lodge at Ponte Vedra, Lauden Golf and at the offices of many area opticians.

Another set of shades to try is made by PeakVision Sports, based in Overland Park, Kan. Their GR4 sunglasses are available in 10 finishes and eight models of frames.

The GR4 features its patented "Dual-Zone" lenses. A neutral-density gray upper zone on the lens filters bright sun and sky and protects against UVA and UVB rays. The lower zone is amber, which highlights and contours of the putting surface and other course features. The sunglasses are worn by Billy Andrade, Scott McCarron, Bruce Fleisher and David Feherty, and also by the cast and commentators of The Golf Channel's recent Big Break V.

For more information, visit www.peakvisionsports.com or call (888) 856-3419.

Finally, there's the SunBuster, by the same company that invented the GustBuster golf umbrella. SunBuster has a golf-specific set of shades called the TR 90 Grilamid, a lightweight frame and lens that isn't polarized. Steve Ausmus, the inventor of the SunBuster, has a theory that polarization distorts the view on the course, especially on the greens.

For additional information, call (866) 786-2878 or visit www.gustbuster.com .

Now, to be the ball, try the Polara. Made by North of 90 Golf, based in Collegeville, Pa., the Polara was first introduced in 1975 by PGA/Victor as a ball virtually slice-proof, because the dimples on the poles of the ball are shallower than that on the rest of the ball. The USGA refused to approve the ball, and a protracted court battle lasted until 1985, when a settlement was reached and it went out of production.

North of 90 golf has re-introduced the brand. The USGA still hasn't approved it, but the company is marketing it "for recreational use." The ball can be purchased by visiting www.northof90.com  or calling (610) 489-7411.