Oakley Prizm Dark Golf Sunglasses Lens Review
- Sunglass Science
- Jul 8
- 9 min read
Updated: 20 minutes ago
Oakley's Prizm Sport collection features lenses crafted for particular sports applications. The Prizm Dark Golf lens was designed to thrive specifically in bright golfing conditions, but it may be the best all-around Oakley sport lens available. Let me explain.
Check out the Prizm Dark Golf lens on SportRx, the best place to get Oakley.
You can also find it on Amazon.
If you want to know more about how rose lenses work, click here.
In This Review
Lens Specs | Oakley Prizm Dark Golf |
Technology | Prizm |
Lens Color | Rose |
Mirror Color | Subtle silver |
VLT | 22%, Category 2 |
ABBE | 30 |
Coatings | Mirror coating |
Material | Plutonite (Polycarbonate) |
Weight | Light |
Scratch Resistance | Low |
Prescription Available | Yes |
3 |
For a detailed look at Oakley Prizm lenses, including their specifications and key features, check out this guide. It covers important details like lens coatings, impact resistance, scratch resistance, and care tips—crucial factors given Prizm lenses' limited coatings and lower scratch resistance.
Prizm Dark Golf is a non-polarized lens.
To learn more about why Prizm lenses are great for sports, see here for an in-depth look.
Prizm Dark Golf has a VLT of 22%, which officially makes it a Category 2 lens. We will see that for sports purposes, this works well.
Is it eligible for prescription?
Yes. For all Oakley Prescription needs, check out SportRx, the best place to get Oakley.
For non-prescription, you can get from SportRx or check out the Prizm Dark Golf lens on Amazon.
How does the lens look?
The front has a rose tint with a subtle silver mirror, which reflects more from direct angles and is not as full a mirror as some other Prizm lenses.
The lens has a rose hue but leans closer to brown than most of the other Prizm lenses.
We will compare this lens to the Prizm Golf lens in the comparison section below.
What does the view look like?
Unlike many of the other Prizm Sport lenses which lean violet/purple in their tint, the Prizm Dark Golf is more rose, leaning closer to a rose/brown. This makes the lens much more natural to look through in comparison and much easier to adapt to. It provides a great color boost with a warm and natural rose outlook.
I highly recommend reading about how rose lenses work to understand why such a prominent tint does not make the view unbearably red and instead feels like a boosted grey lens.
As mentioned in that post and this one, the view will start with a heavy red cast for about two minutes until our eyes and brains adjust. Just keep them on for a few minutes, and you will see the magic a rose lens has.
Rose lenses enhance reds significantly, and blues as well. They filter out more green light; however, since our eyes are particularly sensitive to green, this creates a balanced brightness of colors. The overall view appears redder, adding warmth and enhancing colors. Blues appear in a deeper shade, while greens are more distinct and contrasted.
The visible light transmission (VLT) of the lens is 22%, which is a category 2 lens. That should mean it is a relatively light lens that isn't ideal for full sun, but that's not the case here. This lens doesn't feel like it's category 2. It's a bright and colorful lens, yet still comfortable in full sun. I wouldn't wear it boating in direct overhead sun, but when I use it for golf or tennis under the brightest conditions, it performs excellently.
When a lens is designed for practical purposes like sports, it's beneficial to make the view slightly brighter (similar to why many Oakley Sport lenses have a higher VLT).
In the context of sports and performance activities, many people believe that darker lenses with low VLT (8-15%) are superior because they block more sunlight. However, for fast-paced, high-performance activities, a higher VLT, typically between 15-25%, can provide notable advantages. These lenses allow more light to enter, which is crucial for quickly and accurately processing visual information. In sports, every fraction of a second is vital, and the more visual input your eyes can receive, the better your reaction time, depth perception, and ability to track moving objects.
The tint is uniform across the lens and doesn't change color towards the edges like other mirrored Prism lenses can do, most notably the Prizm Golf lens, which I will show below.
Sunny Conditions
This photo is what Oakley and other sources have used to show the view. Keep in mind that photos will never look as good as the real view looking through the sunglasses with your own eyes.
Interested in experiencing the Oakley lens for yourself? Check out the lens on SportRx, the best place to get Oakley.
You might not believe what the view looks like here, but I assure you this is accurate. Try them and you will see for yourself (after your eyes adjust for a few minutes). Here is my simulation of how the lens looks:
Without a lens, the view is faded, making it challenging to distinguish between the slopes, the fairway, and the rough. It's also very difficult to see the ball.
With the Prizm Dark Golf lens the colors are not only boosted, but nice to look at. It is clear, bright, and comfortable.
A standard grey lens, to contrast, will allow you to see comfortably, but will not have anything close to the color and contrast of the Prizm Dark Golf. It will also be darker and slightly harder to make out details.
This lens is also versatile and is a great all-around lens for sports. I wear it 90% of the time I play tennis (my main sport). In bright conditions, it makes the ball and lines much easier to see and the overall vibe warmer and energetic.
Cloudy Conditions
The Prizm Dark Golf lens works well in overcast conditions because of the contrast and color from the rose lens, as well as the higher VLT levels. Its warm tint creates a more dynamic and visually engaging experience, making it a superior choice over grey or green lenses, which can sometimes feel too dim in these environments.
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
I have tried a lot of different lenses, and very many sports lenses. It is my opinion that the Prizm Dark Golf lens is the best overall sport lens and if you are only looking for one sport lens, from Oakley or any brand, this is the one you should get.
Is it the best in every situation? No, some lenses specialize in certain environments and will be slightly better. But this lens will be great, not just good, in nearly every sport application (except around water, which needs polarization).
Sunny or overcast, no matter what time of year or geography, the Prizm Dark Golf performs. Where other lenses are too overdone with some colors or too light or too dark, the Dark Golf is a perfect balance across conditions.
I actually have two pairs of Oakley Flak 2.0 XL (among other Oakley frames), so that I can use one to change to various lenses I want to wear and I can keep one with just the Dark Golf lens in it. As mentioned above, it is my go-to lens for tennis.
I do not think this should be your only lens, though. You will probably want a darker, polarized lens for driving or bright non-sports conditions. But for sports, this is the one.
Comparison to the same brand - Oakley
Oakley Prizm Golf
The Prizm Dark Golf and Prizm Golf are not very similar lenses, despite the names being similar. Dark Golf is not just a darker version of Prizm Golf. The tints are different, Dark Golf being a cross between rose and brown, and Golf being a violet hue. Golf is mirrored with a greenish/blueish mirror, which makes the lens even more purple. The VLT for Golf is 30% vs 22% for Dark Golf, making Golf noticeably brighter.
Dark Golf is colorful, bright, and comfortable. Golf is even more colorful, even brighter, and a bit less comfortable in full sun, though it is not difficult to wear. Golf takes me a few minutes to adjust to, Dark Golf does not. If you like an explosion of intense color and contrast, even more than the already great (and more versatile) Dark Golf, the Golf lens is worth checking out.
Oakley Prizm Field
Prizm Field is a dark rose lens with a VLT of 15% but it feels even darker than that. The color and contrast is great, but less than the Prizm Dark Golf. In very sunny conditions, it is more comfortable and it is the darkest pure "Sport" lens that Oakley makes, as the other darker ones are designed for sunny cycling and water sports. It does not have the same saturation and color balance that Dark Golf has, and it takes me a minute or two to adjust to it. I think Dark Golf is better than Field in almost all situations and I would only consider the Field lens if I lived in consistently very bright conditions.
Oakley Prizm Ruby
Prizm Ruby is a red-mirrored variation of the Tungsten lens, designed to reflect red light and bring the view closer to a neutral balance. The result is stunning, with colors enhanced more than Prizm Black or Sapphire but without the exaggerated vibrancy of Tungsten. The visual experience is widely appreciated, though the bold aesthetic of the red mirror lens might not appeal to everyone.
I think the Prizm Ruby is the best non-rose sport lens that Oakley makes, and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't like rose (even once they have tried it properly).
Prizm Ruby was my introduction to the world of premium sunglass lenses, and its performance left a lasting impression. It strikes an excellent balance between color enhancement and natural tones, making it a versatile and visually impressive option.
Comparison to Rose Lenses of Different Brands
Serengeti Sedona
The Serengeti Sedona is a more intense rose view than the Prizm Dark Golf, and is darker, though it is mildly photochromic and at its brightest is not far off. It comes in glass, with all coatings, and is polarized. One of the best overall rose lenses.
DITA Lancier Land
The Dita Lancier Land lens is a phenomenal lens geared towards driving, all conditions, and great views. It is a rose lens with a bit of brown to it, a relatively dark 13.4% VLT, and is polarized. The lens material is lightweight nylon. Unlike other rose or brown lenses that can throw the normal color balance off, the Land lens brightens and enhances all colors while keeping the colors feeling normal, especially the sky (which is rare for a rose or brown lens). This is the best all-around lens in the Lancier collection, and arguably any other collection. It is a very similar tint to the Dark Golf lens, but darker, polarized, with all coatings, and super classy.
Maui Jim MauiRose
The MauiRose is more saturated and boosted than the Dark Golf, and a little darker. It will give a more intense view and will feel even “hotter” than the Oakley. It’s like taking the Oakley’s already great rose effect and dialing it up. The MauiRose comes in several materials, including glass, and is fully coated.
See here for the full MauiRose review.
Island Optics Green Mirror
An amazing budget option, this lens is similar in tint to the MauiRose lens, without some of the amazing tech added, but at a fraction of the cost. Nylon lenses that are fully coated.
Conclusion - Oakley Prizm Dark Golf Lens Review - Should you buy it?
The Oakley Prizm Dark Golf lens stands out as one of the best all-around sport lenses available—not just from Oakley, but across the board. Its unique rose-brown tint delivers exceptional clarity, contrast, and comfort in both sunny and overcast conditions, making it incredibly versatile for various sports. It’s bright enough to enhance visual detail and reaction time, yet comfortable enough to wear even in full sun.
If you’re looking for a single lens that can handle nearly any sport (except water-based activities where polarization is needed), the Prizm Dark Golf lens is the one to get. Whether you're playing tennis, golfing, or simply enjoying a high-performance outdoor lens, this one delivers. It might not replace every lens in your collection, but it’s the one you’ll reach for the most.
