I saw this blog from John and his question hits home with a lot of golfers.
John Spurr says:
Don, I have been talking with a teaching golf pro about glasses. He noticed that I was wearing progressive bifocals and said flat out that they would have to go. He suggests having a pair of glasses made from the prescription for seeing far (the upper part of the bifocal) and that would greatly improve my ability to swing and connect with the ball. What do you think?
The Surge says:
I will start with two stories that will inevitably give you my answer.
When I was at Harbour Town, one of my closest Sea Pines member/students was Gary G. He played golf with glasses that had a big bifocal in the bottom of his lens. From the first lesson and the time I played with him, at address he had his head tilted way down and his chin practically on his chest. I asked him to raise his head. He said he couldn’t because he would not be able to see the ball clearly because of his bifocals. I suggested that he get a “playing pair” with no bifocal on his “distance prescription” so he could keep his head and posture up and erect. “But I won’t be able to see the scorecard to keep score” he bellowed back. I bellowed back more loudly, “Do you want to shoot a good score or keep a good scorecard with a poor score?” I then added he should get the playing glasses and bring his reading glasses and put them on to keep his better score.
Gary G heard me well but dragged his feet getting rid of his bifocals or trifocals, whatever they were. Every time I saw him hitting balls on the range, or I played with him, I kept reminding him that playing glasses with no bifocal would really help him improve his ball striking, as seeing the ball better makes it easier to hit it. Then one day Gary G walked up to me on the range and stood face to face with me and asked me if I saw anything different. I replied, “Still ugly as ever. But you have a new good looking pair of playing glasses with no bifocal.” He took them off and gave them to me and told me to put them on and look closely. Gary G got ingenious and had his optometrist put his bifocals on top of the lens where they would not be in the way looking down at the ball on the ground and still work well for writing scores.
The second story is about another Harbour Town Student, a dentist from Wisconsin who came to Sea Pines every year around Christmas and stayed through January. Doc would always take a lesson or two or three. Doc wore glasses with bi or trifocals. And from the first lesson, with head down and chin on chest, I was persistent that he needed playing glasses with no reading aids in them. Like Gary G, he didn’t react and change as quickly as I hoped. In fact, Doc must have taken 3 or 4 years before giving the playing glasses a playing test.
Doc, like Gary G used a unique way to let me know he changed his playing glasses. I was in my office sitting at my desk late one December day and there was a knock on my door. In came Doc. He pulled the chair in front of my desk real close and sat down, leaning his shoulders and head toward and over the front of the desk at the same time asking, “See anything different?” I said with a happy face, “No bifocals.” Doc then dropped a bomb on me by saying, “You told me no bifocals would help me hit the ball better. But you never mentioned how much better I would putt without them.” Doc went on to relate how much his ball striking improved, but he felt his putting was helped even more.
My optometrist is a 3 handicap golfer and, like me, he is adamant that playing golf wearing bi or trifocals is not good. He also agrees that progressive lenses are even worse. Being a golfer, he knows, and mentions the sight problems golfers experience wearing bi and trifocals to play golf. He makes it a point to ask his patients if they need bi or trifocals if they play golf and, for that matter, play any sport, especially hitting or catching a moving ball. If they do play, he professionally recommends they get a playing pair of glasses, explaining that without them they will have trouble seeing and focusing on the ball.
The setup determines the motion is paramount for developing and maintaining a good and consistent swinging and ball striking. Bi and trifocals make getting into a good setup just about impossible with the head having to tilt down so much to look over them to see the ball. So X the focals and stand tall to see the ball. It will improve your ball striking, putting and score!
The Surge!
Tell me what you're thinking... and what part of the golf swing, or this great game... you'd like to know more about. If you want your pic to show with your comment, go get a 
I’ve just started receiving your emails. The issue of bifocals or not has been an issue with me for the last 5 or 6 years. I have an old pair of single lens glasses (scratched and not the best perscription right now) that I carry on my golf bag. If I don’t get a chance to warm up I usually have to go back to my bag on the first tee box to put them on. I can’t see the ball clearly thru the “reading” part of my glasses (head up) and feel way too uncomfortable with my chin down looking thru the top of my glasses.
Thanks for the reinforcement that I’m doing the right thing with the single vision pair for golf.
Jay
this reminds me of a story Sam Snead wrote in his book about playing golf in your forties. Seems he was teaching President Eisenhower, who because he had shall small eyeglasses kept his head on his chest too. Sam suggested he get a bigger pair, and when Ike finally did he got his distance back
My entire golf game has transformed since buying your videos. For the first time I feel like I am in control of my golf game. Prior to learning Peak Performance when I got into trouble on the golf course I had no idea how to correct my game. Now I know if I make a bad swing that I have a foundation to go back to to get back in the game. I really appreciate your approach to the game!
My question is do you have a point of focus prior to hitting the ball. I try to focus on a golf ball dimple, but I cannot say that I maintain focus for long as I am trying to “pop up like a Pop Tart” to get into the “T” position.
Thanks again! You have made golf fun again for me.
Sarge, I made this adjustment many years ago. I also had my pair of single view eyeglasses made with “photo gray” or gradual sun shade capability which further aided my golfing ability.
Don,
You are absolutely right about the bi or trifocals. From the beginning I have always had a pair of “sport” glasses for golf and watching other sporting events. I even had a pair of dark amber sunglasses made for those really bright days or days with a lot of shadows (amber allows you to read greens better as they reduce the glare from shadows). Yesterday I had cataract surgery on my right eye and also RK to correct astigmatism. My vision one day after surgery is 20-30 from 20-200 a week ago and the most amazing part is the RK that I had done to enhance my distance vision is really amazing. I can’t wait to play this Saturday to see if it really helps my ball stricking and putting.
Regards, Steve
Don, My son is a +2 handicap and played some on the Tarheel (now eGolf) tour. It obviously cost more than he made, but we both believe he can make it. However, how do I,we, go about raising money for his attempt. Neither he nor we(his parents) have the money or even the contacts to ask for money. We don’t travel in those circles. Any advice?
First, thanks for the PPGS; fantastic advice across the board. Second, I agree 1000%: bifocals can’t work. And I’ll go one step further: most prescription sunglasses won’t work either because the added curvature in the lens can cause a magnifier effect, making the ball look closer and larger than it is, and/or reducing depth perception. I learned this costly lesson myself and finally had my doc create my “golf glasses” using 1) a regular frame; 2) single vision distance lenses; 3)Transitions for tint; and 4) anti-glare on both sides. Perfect solution for me…
So use to my graduated, I don’t think to remove them. My ball looks fuzzy on the tee, but my set up is sound and I don’t pay attention to the fuzziness. But recently realized I need to take them off on the greens.
Doc I have jusr recently started reading your helpful hints. My biggest problem is consistency. I am 60 years old and 14 handicap. I am naturally left handed and play right handed for 35 years. My question is how can I swing on plane and keep from hitting the dreaded pop fly to right.
yours,
Hi Don,
I just completed reading your article about bi or trifocals. I wear no line tri focals and it has taken me sometime to adjust to wearing them on the course. I live in Missouri so we are reaching close to the end of our playing season here, but prior to next spring on my list of things to do will be to take my prescription to a local optical shop and have single vision lenses made for golf next spring. I am certain after reading your article and with the problems I have had with my tri’s it will definitely be good for my game.
Have a good one and thanks for the good articles.
Luke Wilkerson
Surge: Many thanks for all the great golfing advice. I am a lefty, and quite frankly hate to swing my irons. I have always been a lousy iron player and prefer woods for practically most my shots outside 50-yards. Inside 50-yards, it can get ugly. I use a 9-wood and 13-wood from 100 to 80 yards respectively then chip or pitch with my irons where possible. The grey area within 70-yards should be easy but my mechanics and feel have my shots coming up short and costing me an unnecessary stroke, therefore, play bogey golf at best. One problem is the different feel between swinging a wood vs. iron and my inability to roll the irons over at impact and hold the wrist cock. Since subscribing to your physolophy my golf accuracy is improving. My focus on alignment is greatly improving. I feel I can play in the 80’s but need more power in my drives and three-wood. On most par 4-’s coming up short on being on in regulation. More power would help eliminate short iron play. But I need to learn to hit my irons first. I know you can help. Thanks
Paul Wade
Surge, The day I got my first pair of “multi-refractory” lenses I stepped to the tee box and promptly whiffed. The ball moved when my head turned. I played the rest of the round without glasses and fairly well. I ordered a pair with the darkening lenses ground in the far sight and still play the same pair for over 15 years.
I like your PPGS manual and am adapting my bad old body with a prosthetic left hip, one leg longer than the other, severe rheumatoid arthritis, and a malformed left hand to a fairly reasonable game again. I refuse to let joint pain stop me from enjoying life. At least with your swing I can ensure it won’t cause me muscular distress. I walk with a cane and am able to use a club for support while golfing. I play golf!
Lou
I wear progressive contact lens that are better for reading than for distance. When I play golf, in addition to the contacts, I wear a prescription pair of sunglasses to enhance distance vision. Does this make sense or should I just get a pair of distance glasses?
Don,
Golfers that wear bifocals can get glasses specifically made for golfers. They are sold to golfers around the US and have sold nearly 100,000 pairs. The company is Visions of Canada, located in Windsor, Ontario. I wear them and I do
not need to raise or lower my head to see the ball. They are the latest in corrective lenses and can be found on http://www.visionforegolfing.com.
Now I know why my game improved so dramatically over the last two years. I threw away my glasses and have only reading glasses since I had lens implants in both eyes. Before, like your article I had bifocals then trifocals trying to do all things at once. I couldn’t hit a ball to save myself. All the lessons and tips and know one ever suggested or even inquired about the affect of my glasses on my game. I have been a 20 plus handicapper all my life and now I am a 17 handicapper. The only thing really hurting my game now is simply practice.
On the topic of graduated or bifocal glasses, I found that simply pushing the glasses down my nose until I was looking at the ball through the top (distance) part of the lenses worked for me when I forgot to take my distance-only glasses with me. But I agree with you – single vision lenses are best.
Thanks for that info Surge! I’m going to try the new glasses thing and see how much more my “consistently improved score” will be. In two months the score is consistently heading down-pun intended-LOL! The set up and targeting has helped tremendously. I still need some help understanding the toe and parrell line thing. Also how my front shoulder is figuered into the club target alignment (ie what my hands, front shoulder and club face are pointing at to be properly aligned to the target)?
Charles
Thanks for the tip. Does the same hold true for contact lenses that do the same correction as bifocal glasses?
I have 20-15 vision. When I had my last checkup, I asked my doc for some golf glasses. She asked me why, so I told her I was having trouble hitting with my progressives on. So as the Doc joke goes, she said “Take them off and play!” My distance vision is fine, I just can’t read without them. So I only wear sunglasses when I need them on the course, and extend my arms out to write my score down. Works for me! I just thought I had to wear them, not so.
I have reveived only one video so far in the last 10 days why?
Don , thanks. YAHOOOOOOO, I,m right. Last year I got my glasses redone. I have had progressive lens for years,but these were abit stronger this time. I wore them on our golf night and shot terrible. I added 15 strokes to my game that day. I found that they made my feet and ball look like they were at my knees. Miss hits, putts and everything else. I told my buddies that the new glasses were the cause. They laughed and said I was loosing it. I was right thanks for the info, I’ll be sending this to them. Over the past 1 1/2 years of following your tips and videos I’ve dropped from a 18 hc to a 12. You’re the best Don.
Re,Glasses.
I have never heard so much un-mitigated bull**** in all my life.I have been wearing progressive bi-focals for six years now,on obtaining my first pair I went to the expense of buying another pair with distances lenses in.I played with both to check the effect.First problem,when you change your glasses it takes some time for the eyes to adjust .Nothing better than standing on the first tee feeling dizzy??
i played a few rounds with the distance glasses-no problem.Played the next few rounds with the progressive-not a blind bit of difference(excuse the pun).
Anyway, that’s my experience of progressive bi-focals,no change in handicap since ive been wearing them??
Right or wrong,I’ve got that off my chest.Happy golfing to you all.
Shank, Shank, Shank…..How do I cure it???
I had my optomotrist make the bifocal part of the lens smaller and just in the area next to the nose.It works great.
Re Glasses,
Don I have to agree with ‘Coombsie’. I have worn ‘Varifocals’ for nearly ten years – during which time my handicap has steadily reduced. I have no problems looking at the ball – I do not have to bend to my chest to see through the top of the specs – I stand naturally.
My putting has improved 500% since I started wearing variofocals.
Struck a chord, here, Surge! Thanks for the advice. I’m getting a new pair of glasses for the course.
Don,
What about those of us who wear bifocal contacts. Do you think wearing single vision lenses would be better.
Don,
Thanks for the article on glasses. I have been wearing glasses with small bifocals for years and always see the ball. You can get anywhere in the world. What’s the problem????? Spend a few dollars to see the ball.
Jim
Years ago, many of us rquested distance prescriptions with a small insert at the bottom for the biofocals….it works. Your Optometrist or eye technician fitter will fit you so you do not see the insert.
As a golfing optometrist most of what you say is true. Conventional bifocals-trifocals are not conducive to good golf. However, there are ways to accommodate golfers with the proper eyeware. Those under forty-five(roughly) that need a distance correction should wear their distance glasses. For those who need near vision also, they can use a conventional bifocal set very low in their frames. Progressive bifocals will work if the proper type of progressive is provided and set a bit lower than usual. I wear these myself and they don’t bother me at all. Also, Transition lenses provide glare and UV protection, an added bonus. Another option is put a bifocal that has a focal length to the ball when putting to make it clear. That’s why I keep a putter and measuring tape in my exam room. I have prescribed many “golf” glasses in my forty some years in practice. Seek out a golfing optometrist or one that is familiar with different options it will improve comfort and your score.
Gary O.D.
bifocal glasses are a hassle. bifocal contact lenses that provide good dist. vision and near vision good enough to see the scorecard and read putts are the correction of choice for me. been wearing them for yearsd. need to find a doctor who fits alot of them and is persistant. they take a little adaptation, but worth. i should know, i fit my own and many more every week.
I ‘ve been trying to play golf with progressive glasses for years and yes you can play golf and I’ve had great rounds with them………….BUT I just got a distance only pair and they do make a HUGE difference.
So no bull just fact.
I am near-sighted also. I wear glasses for seeing far when I play golf. I can read the scorecard just fine with no glasses. I had a pair of bifocals but after a couple of months, I tossed them in the “round file”.
Hallo Don
I have been following your blogs since I have been registered, but the blog today is very important. .
I have my own expirience: When I made vacation in Florida ( 2000) I had a pair of glases , stylish and large and only one focal. My putting was always 1, 5 m to the right. So I drawes a line on the beach and realisid the deviation.
Back in Germany I went to my glasses shop and we developed a very small gals diameter as when you lookk sideways to the big glasses you break the angle. Since then I have a golfing pair of glasses which let me see the ball very sharp at the set up and in the distance I see what I see – its good enough to see the ball. Now I have trifocal glasses which the I really cannot play and for the score card its still sharp enough. So I recomment to have golf glasses as a special pair ( ps I am now 70 and live in Germany)
I agree with the post made by Lew about the biofocals. Several years ago I had always maintained 2 set of glasses, on with no biofocals and the other with. Apparently the optometrist played golf and suggested that he could insert a smaller biofocal at the bottom that would not effect my vision for playing but would have just enough to read a score card, etc. Since these were sun glasses I tried them and they were great.
If you wanted to just sit and read I would not recomend them but definitely for golf. My other glasses for every day use, except golf, had the regular biofocal. I have gone to several optometrist over the years and have ordered the glasses that way so apparently most eye doctors can do it.
Since I have just had catarct surgey recently I do not glasses at all to play!!
Hi guys,
First, this is not an advertisement. I’m not selling anything.
If you want to fix your eyes without Lasik, do what I did and try the Bates Method.
Just do a search on google. There are lots of free resources – I didn’t pay anyone anything, except for my optician, because I need weaker contacts. He didn’t believe it was possible, of course.
But now I’m glasses and lenses free. All with simple exercises of the eyes and good vision habits.
Like I said – free, easy, and it works!!!
At least it did for me.
The hardest part, to be honest, was getting used to doing the exercises regularly. I did them about three to six times a day, depending how busy I was, for 15 mins or more each time.
The muscles around my eyes ached a bit sometimes, but that was a small price to pay for not needing eye-crutches any more.
My right eye was -2.75 with a fair bit of astigmatism, don’t remember how much exactly. Within two weeks I was using lenses of only -1.00 in that eye, and in five weeks total was lens free.
My left eye was more complicated. I discovered through this process that my right eye was very dominant, i.e. I had a lazy left eye. Funny that my optician never told me that, isn’t it, him being the “expert” and all.
Seems that it’s quite common when you have one eye weaker than the other, i.e. needing a stronger prescription, that it is lazy, i.e. the better eye is dominant. This also means that the brain is using the dominant eye more in it’s image processing. Which comes first, the dominance or the weakness, I’m not sure.
Anyway, as a result of the right eye getting better faster, it became even more dominant than it already was. I then had to do a lot more work on that eye, blocking the right eye with an eye patch while I did some of the exercises, to force my mind to use the image for the left eye.
So just a warning to watch out for that. Find a behavioural optometrist/optician if you can – not easy, but would certainly help.
The only thing I still have is a little astigmatism in the right eye, but that’s slowly fading too.
Works for long-sightedness too, not just myopia, by the way.
Good luck!!!!
Tom
Re Glasses: I have been using single vision sunglasses on the course or years. I had my optician make up a set of lenses for an old pair of “aviator” shades. The large lenses allow me to look down at the ball while keeping my chin up.
Here in BC the sun is not often present for winter rounds so I had a pair of clear distance large-lens glasses made up. Sent my prescription off to a company in China – and for less than $20, a week later they arrived! I played with them for the first time yesterday and they were great.
i can only see out of my right eye it really gives me a hard time lining up putts and people tell me that i dont line up on my driv es thanks bj
Hi Don I used to play with bi focals but 12 yrs. ago I switched to contact Lense`s .Just great to play without wiping rain drops from glasses & the freedom of no frames,I now wear them all the time & I am 84yrs,& I love my golf .Kind regards Wally
I have had trouble hitting fairway woods for four years.
I often hit behind the ball or xometimes top it.
One of my partners tell me that I “move off the ball”.
but I don’t think I do.
How can I improve my fairway wood shots.
Chuck
i wore progressives and I had a perception distortion playing golf.
I ended up playing without glasses.
The depth perception problem went away but everything was fuzzy.
I would put my glasses back on to putt. Takin ‘em off, puttin ‘em just made things worse.
I finally had enough and went and had the lasik surgery on both eyes. It was THE solution.
The only reason I had the surgery was because of golf.
My wife thinks I’m nuts, but that’s another story for a different time.
Surge I am hitting the ball left of target. I know 95% of these problems is alignment. This is not alignment. I have my alignment sticks parallel left. My toe line, hips, shoulders are good. My divots are bigger than I want them to be and the divots are going left of alignment. Hitting a 7 iron I am ending up 10 or 15 yards left of target consistently. The ball goes straight or with a fade back. What am I doing here? I have hit some shots way out on the toe too. It seems when I bow my knees more outward I am more stable and have more power. I think my “In the catchers mitt” is OK but it must not be. In practice swings I try and make sure that my shaft is in the mitt and on my toe line with the club head up before I go up the tree. Where am I fouling up here Surge? Am I too fast with my arms or hips? I don’t know and I have gotten frustrated fast after some good early success with the PPGS. What should I look for and what drills could I check myself with?
Thanks Jim
Don,
I feel like an idiot. Sure, how can you hit that which you can barely see. Makes perfect sense to me hearing it from you. Everything is impacted. How can you set up properly if you cannot see?Physics and statistics dictate that it is practically impossible.
I wear progressive lens bifocals. Crossed that line at 48. I’m now 55. For years, now I have been stuck at high 80’s low 90’s. Struggling to get a consistent crisp solid iron shots and consistent putting.
I noted that my putting has been on and off line for years, while my ability to hit 2-3 inches behind the ball with my irons has progressively become the norm and one of the reasons I was looking to you for assistance.
My optometrist, after learning I played golf, last year recommended contact lenses and a good pair of sunglasses for the course. Not being a golfer, he commented not on my game but opined he thought it would be very difficult to play with my new progressive lenses.
For some reason hearing it from you puts the entire thing into perspective. I guess it is time to see my optometrist and take him up on your sound advise.
Hey guys,
I’m nearsighted and got contacts to solve all my problems. I have bifocal contacts now and I love them. If something is too close, it goes fuzzy, but at my feet and as far as I can hit it, all are in sharp detail. An added benefit for nearsighted people…. the ball looks bigger sitting on the tee. If i were to wear my glasses, the ball looks about 2/3rds the size it should, with my contacts it looks right. And as Wally said… no more wiping raindrops off the glasses!!! Contacts are the way to go!
Tom Head – this is the first time I have ever heard anyone say the Bates method worked. I did a course on the method many years ago but didn’t keep it up; we were even filmed for TV; I was looking for instant results; a bit like my swing. Maybe I’ll try again. And bye the bye, I knew a ninety year old who didn’t wear glasses. He said he had done exercises all his life. Thanks for the tip.
John
Don,
On the question of Bi-focals, Tri-focals I weare progressive trifocals and you are right about not being able to see the ball properly with glasses on so I play with glasses off. Are you saying a plain pair of glasses will be much better looking down at the ball than no glasses at all.
Dear SURGE and ALL:
I must respectively disagree on the issue of bi/tri focal and/or progressive lens glasses. I have worn both for about 25 years. first bi, then tri focal and for the last 10 years or so progressives.
When I a bit younger and stronger, I played to an 8 handicap, using any style of glasses. Now I am older and partially due to illness much weaker and consequentally my handicap is much higher.
Perhaps I am unique — but I require the “near” lens to putt — and I frequently have 6 to 8 one putt greens — without the near lwns the ball is extremely fuzzy. I also need the “near” lens to be able to focus on the ball at address for my longer shots.
Obviously I need the “distance” lens to see what I have hit on full shots!
For me at least, progressive lens with the UV and variable tinting built in work great.
And please —— no mention of contacts — I can not even stand the thought of putting something ON/IN my eyes!
Just my 2 cetns worth
Amos
To all / John Trude
>John trude says:
>November 4, 2009 at 9:46 pm
>
>Tom Head – this is the first time I have ever heard anyone say the Bates method worked. I did a >course on the method many years ago but didn’t keep it up; we were even filmed for TV; I was >looking for instant results; a bit like my swing. Maybe I’ll try again. And bye the bye, I knew a ninety >year old who didn’t wear glasses. He said he had done exercises all his life. Thanks for the tip.
>John
Well, two weeks to go from -2.75 to -1.00 is not instant, but was pretty shocking for me – I didn’t expect to see results so quickly.
This says a lot about life, I think.
You expected quick results, and that’s probably what the TV crew needed or wanted for “good TV”, but you didn’t see them (no pun intended), so didn’t continue.
I on the other hand was, from what I’d read, expecting to have to put a lot of effort in for months, so really worked at it and had better and fast results than I expected.
Perspective is everything; in this case, governing our differing expectations and implementations of the same technique. I was just lucky to have the perspective that gave me high enough expectations to actually bother with the Bates method, but low enough that I was ready to put into it what was needed and not get discouraged.
Golf is a lot like that, don’t you think?
Many people come to the game thinking it can be no harder than hitting a tennis ball or baseball or cricket ball. But it IS harder, I think. So they get disillusioned quickly and drop the game. Or never put the required effort into learning the game properly, so struggle for years with a bad technique.
Unlike with my eyes and the Bates method, I went down that “wrong” road with golf. Took a long time for me to realise that I’d gone about it the wrong way from the start due to unrealistic expectations based upon a woefully lacking understanding of what the game really demands, to be able to play it properly.
Of course, by the time I realised that I’d already acquired a lot of bad habits in all areas of my game from putter to driver, tee to green. Took a long time to get to that realisation. Taking longer to get rid of the bad habits.
To my mind, that’s something that’s really a big problem in golf.
But I understand how it is that way. How many people would even take up the game if they were told truthfully how much work and practice is needed to get any good? Especially if you take up the game as an adult.
But I think that the golf industry takes it to the other extreme. Quick sale and no, or poor follow up.
I.e. does nothing to keep our perspective and expectations realistic, and then doesn’t give us much in the way of organised help.
I had no idea that it was so important to get lots of lessons early on until I’d got reasonably good techniques ingrained. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But it wasn’t at all. I didn’t know any better. Was that my fault? I don’t think so. And I think the industry suffers from a lot of drop outs because of that.
The perfect illustration of that is that the average handicap has hardly budged in the last who-knows-how-many years. How is that possible? If new players went through the right kind of introduction to the game, wouldn’t they/we all be single digit handicappers after only a few years? I’m sure we would.
BTW, I feel this has a lot to do with the stranglehold the equipment manufacturers have on the industry, but that’s another story.
Tom
Surge, it may have taken awhile for my overall game to come around, but I am now beginning to enjoy
playing again. I’ve been taking a chapter at a time and working it until I feel I have somewhat mastered it. I am now able to play 18 holes and not feel like I’m torturing myself. In fact a couple days ago I played one of the best games of this year. I shot an 87 and that for me is very good. I was in he middle to high 90’s. Thanks, your course is great and I’ve recommended it to a number of friends to at least
look at it on the internet.
Dave
Myself I have issues with both my dominant eye right side and my weaker eye the left side. astigmatism in the right eye thats costing my distance vision-can’t see the ball past 160 yards, and then both eyes loosing closer vision. Had a set of transition lenses made for the distance issue by itself, Tried to play golf with them and got dizzy on the tee or when putting. So since I can see the writing on the ball at address I just rely on my alignment and swing and play without glasses. Still having trouble with the swing seem to be taking too deep diviots and loose distance at times. Been working on my stance, alignment, grip, takeaway and at times I hit one pure and straight. Played 18 holes tuesday and I’m back to where I was before breaking my neck in April. Shot an 84 and could have done alot better if I had sunk some putts from inside 10 feet. Also having trouble reaching the green in regulation on par 5’s, used to be my favorite holes when I had no trouble getting there in two. Now I’m having trouble hitting my fairway wood, either chunk it, top it, or hit a low screamer towards the hole. The direction is on but the contact is not clean and crisp. I’ve tried playing the ball farther forward in my stance with a little success, at least the ball gets off the ground for a short distance. Off a tee I hit the Adams Speedline fairway 3 wood right at 230 with a little fade right. wish I could do that on the fairways. Any suggestions.
G/Day Don,
Greetings from New south Wales, Australia. First I would like to Thankyou for excellent advice and great DVD’s. I am in the process of adapting to the PPGS and after a few days I am aready seeing a big improvement . I completely lost my game after having both of my knees replaced and after trying many of the so called fiixes I nearly gave the game away. Thanks to your PPGS I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am starting to enjoy golf again.
On the matter of wearing bifocal glasses. I cured the problem by getting my optometrist to make my glasses with a small reader lens at the bottom to enable me to address the ball correctly and still read my scorecard when required. Once again thanks Don I appreciate your great advice it really works.
Regards
Lance Clarke
Australia
My husband keeps telling me to get a pair of glasses just for golf, but I told him, “How is the doctor going to know what prescription to write when the distances on the green and fairway are different all the time?”. I think my problem is a little different than the two you described, and I’d like your input. A doc messed up my lasik procedure so both my distance, and my reading vision is bad. My reading glasses obviously won’t work for hitting off the tee or anywhere else for that matter. My distance glasses don’t help me at all on the green for the simple reason is, they’re for distance. Here’s a final twist, I always wear sunglasses, which of course don’t have a prescription in them. Here’s to hoping you can help. Thanks for writing this article because it’s been a real problem for me (in addition to my back problem). Sincerely, Carolyn
Wish this item had been posted a few months ago! I just got a new pair of bifocals & found I couldn’t hit a thing with them on.
However, I agree with Lance & a few others that the answer, if you need readers to see the score card, is to tell the optometrist to make the bifocal a small area at the bottom of the specs. Luckily I don’t & just peer over the top when marking.
When I was getting fitted for a set of iron’s the instructor asked if I was wearing bifocals because, as you pointed out, my chin was on my chest. He told me the same as you said here. i did get a set of glasses just for golf and I have dropped a couple of strokes since.
I read this post on its orginal date and wanted to share my experience since then. I got new progressive bifocals for work without the transition lenses that chage for out side sun conditions. I wore them on an overcast day at the course. I found my self tilting my head way lower than with my other presciption sun glasses. My game was so off. Then it hit me I am wearing the wrong glasses. I went out yesturday and wore my prescription sunglasses and didn’t have to tilt my head down to see the ball. This article really opened my eyes ( HAHA) Thanks
Don, your remarks about bifocals are spot on!.
I get watery eyes when playing in the colder months and have had a pair of distance-only lenses put into a pair of ‘wrap-around’ frames.
But I take them off for putting.
I have found that your remarks about alignment come into play here and whilst looking out of one pair of lenses (my eyes!) is bad enough, looking through TWO sets of lenses is a recipe for missing the easiest of putts.
Seeing the ball and cup with a little fuzz around the edges matters less than seeing straight!
Hello Don,
For whatever reason, I’m thus far one short on my 10 lesson package.
Out of the seven sent to me thus far ,# 6 did not show.So…could you please forward # 6
at your earliest covenience.
Thank you, B.R.
I chose bifocal contacts a long time ago and I am very happy with this decision. Although a little uncomfortable at the beginning, on the long term they are the best.
You know that there also exists colored bifocal contact lenses? Depending on your taste, you can find the pair you like, even online, on specialized sites selling them.
They’re aren’t so cheap, but bifocal contact lenses are very useful for all kinds of eye disorders.