PeakVision Sports Glasses Review

You might have noticed that an increasing number of Tour pros wearing sunglasses during their rounds. And you might also have noticed that most of those shade-sporting players tend to take off their sunglasses around the greens.

PeakVision Sports is trying to change that. The company has a unique line of golf-specific sunglasses that are supposed to improve your vision from tee to green – and even help you see the contours of the putting surface better than without sunglasses. Longtime Tour players like Billy Andrade and Bruce Fleisher have been wearing the shades on Tour this year and have become enthusiastic spokesmen for the product.

Fellow Sand Trapper Jeff Smith and I have had a chance to try out PeakVision Sports glasses for the last couple months. Did they turn us into putting masters? Read on and find out.

Construction
The most obvious and most impactful feature of the PeakVision sunglasses is the Dual-Zone lens technology used in each of the company’s golf products. The basic idea is this: make the top half of each lens dark to block out direct sunlight, and make the bottom half lighter to bring out the contours of the greens.

The top portion of each lens is a neutral-density gray, which is dark enough to keep you from squinting as you follow the flight of the ball on sunny days. The bottom portion is an amber color, which knocks out glare and really brings greens into focus.

The dual-zone technology in the PeakVision glasses blends a darker top area with a lighter, amber bottom area. This is the Cyber frame.

The majority of sunglasses on the market today have lenses made from polycarbonate material. The main benefit of polycarbonate is impact resistance. According to PeakVision, the main disadvantage of the material is poor clarity and increased distortion – exactly what you don’t want in a game of inches like golf. PeakVision sunglasses feature a new type of lens material called NXT. This material is supposed to have exceptional clarity, with the added benefit of excellent scratch resistance.

The PeakVision NXT lenses are also not polarized. Polarization is helpful for activities like fishing, but it distorts your peripheral vision – which is important on short-game shots where you want to see your ball, your line, and your target at the same time.

As for the frames, each style in the PeakVision golf product line is a full wrap – meaning the lenses and frames are curved to wrap around the sides of your eyes, providing coverage for your entire field of vision. Some of the frames can be fitted with interchangeable lenses from PeakVision’s other sports-specific glasses, like baseball. All of the frames are built to keep the lenses close to your face to provide the maximum protection from the wind and increased clarity.

At this time, there are no options for prescription lenses, either as inserts or as full lenses from PeakVision.

Esthetics
The Dual-Zone lenses are the defining esthetic feature of the PeakVision sunglasses. The two-tone look is actually in vogue right now, thanks to the Jennifer Lopezes and Brad Pitts of the world, and I got plenty of positive comments when I wore the “Cyber” frame style. Jeff also liked the “Neva” frames he tried out.

Side view. The Cyber frame was very lightweight and comfortable.

There are plenty of frame styles in the PeakVision lineup, from blade styles to more traditional looks. As previously mentioned, all the styles are wraps, and most of the frames are available in a variety of finishes – including metallic looks, flat matte finishes and patterns like tortoise.

The “Cyber” frame I chose is a lightweight aluminum rimless frame. It reminded me a bit of the glasses Keanu Reeves wore in the “Matrix” movies. The frames fit very well, and had adjustable nose pads if the fit needed to be fine-tuned. The temples also had hinges that flexed outward to make it easier to put the glasses up on my hat – not when I was on the green, but when I went inside the clubhouse or when it was too dark to wear the glasses.

Each pair of PeakVision sunglasses comes with a sturdy zippered case, a microfiber sleeve/wiping cloth and an anti-fog wipe. The case is excellent quality, as good as the $30 case Oakley makes you buy in addition to their glasses. A nice throw-in, considering that the PeakVision product line is at a premium price point ($119-$209). The build quality of the glasses Jeff and I tried out were excellent.

What’s in the box: A zippered protective case, a sleeve that can be used for cleaning the glasses, an anti-fog wipe and, of course, the glasses.

Performance The PeakVision sunglasses pack plenty of technology. Does it help on the course? Jeff and I both say yes. The Dual-Zone design really makes for an impressive pair of golf glasses. For the first few minutes I wore the “Cyber” frame, I found the Dual-Zone sensation a bit odd. But once I got used to it, the feeling was completely natural. The design makes the brightest part of your field of vision – the sky – much easier on your eyes. More importantly, the amber lower portion of the lenses really makes the greens pop. As Jeff says, it makes the greens seem more vivid, like a 3D effect.

I found the PeakVision sunglasses wearable in nearly any light. Even on cloudy days, they helped cut down on the glare and weren’t so dark that I had trouble seeing. And on bright days, I never took them off. It’s a great feeling to play 36 holes on a sunny day without having to squint.

Rear view of the Cyber frame.

Did the PeakVision technology help Jeff and me sink more putts? That’s hard to say. I didn’t feel that I saw the line of putts that much more clearly. But they did make everything very clear, and I did have my best putting rounds of the year – and lowest scores – while wearing PeakVision sunglasses. That’s a pretty good indicator in my book.

Conclusion
If you’re in the market for a pair of high-end, golf-specific sunglasses, put PeakVision on your list. Don’t expect a miraculous improvement on the greens, with big red arrows indicating the line of each putt. But do expect innovative, comfortable, well-designed sunglasses that feel good and make your vision clearer.

I’m a big proponent of wearing sunglasses for golf. Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause a lot of long-term damage to your eyes, and the green grass of the golf course reflects a lot of glare back up at you. I definitely feel like I have tired eyes if I don’t wear sunglasses on a bright day, especially on the golf course.

The protective case is very sturdy and does a great job protecting your glasses in your golf bag while the sleeve can be used for cleaning your glasses.

My only quibble with the PeakVision sunglasses is that they are a little too sport-specific. If I’m spending three figures on sunglasses, I’d like to be able to wear them as much as possible, including driving and other casual use. The PeakVision glasses I tried were a little too light for really bright days behind the wheel or at the beach.

But if you’re looking for true golf sunglasses, PeakVision has a great product. Like SunBuster and SunDog, PeakVision is a relatively small company that makes better golf sunglasses than big boys like Oakley and Nike.

Specifications
PeakVision Sports sunglasses are currently available in seven styles, priced from $119 to $209. There are a limited number of golf shops that sell the product, but most sales are handled through peakvisionsports.com. They offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, and there are free shipping codes to be found using Google or the search engine of your choice.