Does anyone have trouble seeing the ball?

[cnl390]

I went and hit a small bucket at lunch time and after hitting about 20 balls with my driver about all I can say is that the hits sounded good.. Aside from that I don't have a clue where the balls went.  I then went to my 5 and 7 iron and could see about half of them.

Does anybody have this problem?  So we don't waste time on questions I already know will asked, I will give some answers in advance.

Today is a very bright sunny day

I was not wearing sun glasses

The balls were all white

I Had my last eye exam about 2 weeks ago

I wear contacts

I am 59 years old

[philelli]

LOL, sounds normal to me, so you're looking down at a darker area, focusing on something say 5 1/2 feet from you, you hit the ball and look up as you follow through, into the glare and you're eyes also need to refocus whilst you're trying to find the ball in flight.

Suggest you move to the UK where the weather is mostly miserable!!

[PirateJim]

Happens to us all sometimes, but sunglasses would help I think.  Polarized sunglasses really help me, they cost a bit more but I really think they are worth every cent, they're not just for fishing.

I wear corrective lenses (have tried contacts and never got happy with 'em) and had a set of sunglasses made just for playing golf.  They are polarized mid bronze color with bifocals cut very low.  I like the bronze color because it makes colors sort of pop and I feel like I can see a ball better with that shade.  They aren't real dark, so I can wear 'em on cloudy days.  They are not reading glasses, the bifocal is cut low enough I have to pick them up off my nose a bit to read fine print, bit that keeps the bifocal out of my line when looking at the ball, yet I can read something like an incoming text if I need to.  Before getting those glasses I tried using sunglasses I already had with progressive lenses.  However, sometimes if my head wobbled even a little it seemed like the ball would move around! I've been hitting the ball more consistently since getting the new glasses.

[Ernest Jones]

I play a fair bit of night golf under lights. It can pretty hairy once your hitting past 160yds or so. I do alright in daylight but usually ask someone to spot for me on my drives, which is a little awkward when you top one. Lol.

[JonMA1]

I almost started a thread titled "What's the worst idea you've ever had for improvement", but this thread seems appropriate to tell my story. Sorry, it's a bit long-winded...

Two weeks ago, I had this brilliant idea that would not only improve my ball striking, but also enable me to visually follow the ball off tee. I play alone quite a bit and sometimes it can be an effort to see where the ball lands.

For the last 10 years, I've worn progressive bifocals. I also have a second pair of glasses that have regular lenses. I use this second pair when I hunt, or when I'm looking for morels - anything that doesn't require closeup viewing. So I decided that I should try playing golf with them. The logic being that the ball on the tee was far enough away where the absence of bifocals wouldn't matter, and the lack of a transition might make it easier see the ball in flight..

The trouble with this plan is that I waited until I arrived at the tee box before switching glasses. Had I worn them on the drive home from work, my eyes may have gotten used to the difference. But as it turned out, I could hardly focus on the tee. Should have stopped right there but no, I had to see this through.

Because of league play on the front, I started my round on the back nine, hole 10 being just 40 yards left of the clubhouse. My first swing with the driver felt clean but I never saw the ball come down. Second swing, I could just barely see it slice way right. Third swing - I can't tell you what happened but I might as well turned 60 degrees to the right and tee'ed off because I heard the ball hit a pole barn some 200 yards away. Fourth swing, shanked a line drive directly at the clubhouse. Fortunately, the owner had installed a net last year and the ball never reached the building. Even though I couldn't see a damn thing, I'm pretty sure there were a group of people gathering inside the clubhouse laughing their asses off.

I switched back to the bifocals, hit a decent drive that I could easily see land on the right side of the fairway and went on with the rest of the round. And no, I didn't score any of the 8 penalty shots.

[Zachari208]

I just go off the swing to find my ball, good or bad, if I don't see its trajectory. I also use Z-star yellow balls due to the clouds in Idaho, they contrast the horizon well.

[David in FL]

Yep, it's hell to get old.

I'd also recommend that you try sunglasses.  I'm 54, also wear contacts and could never wear sunglasses while playing.....the light bleeding in from the side was distracting.   A couple of years ago someone suggested that I try Oakleys and I did.  Flak Jackets with the G-30 lenses, and I love 'em.  Now play in them in all light conditions and find my eyes are MUCH less tired at the end of the day.

I guess the good news is that even though my eyes aren't very good, at least I'm still hitting it far enough to lose sight of it......guess it could be worse!

[inthecup]

Yea, I reached the age where I hit it father than I can see.  My wife picked up some bright yellow balls for me by mistake.  At first I was against it but as I used them I found I liked them.  Easier to see in the air and in the rough....  Also nice to know which ball is yours when you come up on a group.

I have not had luck with contacts, I work in a dusty place and went back to glasses a while back.  I have to try contacts again.