The Cheat Code for Green Reading, According To A Professional Golfer

I’m all for things that make golf a little easier.

And cooler.

So when budding PGA Tour star Min Woo Lee let me in on his not-so-secret love for Oakley sunglasses, I had to dig down into the “why” behind his affinity for sunnies.

He gave me three big reasons why having the right pair of sunglasses is important, including one that I think you’ll get some mileage out of: reading the greens.

“The golf lens is a big part of it,” Lee said. “You can see some contours on the greens that you might not see without the sunnies.”

What Lee said (or rather what he has seen), is one simple truth: Sunglasses aren’t just a fashion accessory. The right pair can contribute to better performance, too.

Anyone can make a good frame. Anyone can make a cool design (as Lee can attest, Oakley definitely does that, too). But not everyone can make a lens that actually helps you on the golf course.

Oakley’s Prizm technology is the real deal. More specifically, Oakley’s Prizm golf lenses are the real deal. They manipulate the light that hits your lenses in order to enhance certain colors, create purposeful contrast and more.

Want to see the contours of the green more clearly? The Prizm Golf and Prizm Dark Golf lenses are formulated to allow a specific amount of light in and filter out certain colors to create contrast that has to be seen to be believed.

Heck, the Prizm tech even works to filter and bring down the levels of blue. This makes it easier to spot your white golf ball as it (ideally) flies through the sky and onto the green.

In a game where focus is the ultimate mental edge, an accessory that can keep you focused on the right things (your ball, the slope of the green), the right pair of sunglasses is an invaluable tool.

That’s what makes them a cheat code, so to speak.

Now, for those other two reasons that sunglasses are so important to Lee?

Protection and style.

“I just feel like it’s a fresh—they keep it fresh, and it’s great. Look good on the golf course, and protects my eyes.”

Amen, Chef.

(PS: Min Woo Lee’s favorite sunglasses are the Radar EV. I’ve been partial to the Holbrook)

Top Photo Caption: Min Woo Lee reads a green during the Australian Open. (GETTY IMAGES/Josh Chadwick)