Oakley Prizm Golf Sunglasses Lens Review
- Sunglass Science
- Jul 17
- 10 min read
Updated: Aug 21
The Oakley Prizm Sport collection includes lenses designed specifically for particular sports.
The Prizm Golf lens was designed to thrive especially for (you guessed it) golfing conditions. They hit a home run (hole in one?) with this lens, but it isn't for everyone. Let me explain.
Check out the Prizm Golf lens on SportRx, the best place to get Oakley. Use code SCIENCE10 for $10 off your purchase.
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 Golf |
Technology | Prizm |
Lens Color | Rose |
Mirror Color | Green |
VLT | 30% |
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 includes essential information such as lens coatings, impact resistance, scratch resistance, and care tips—vital considerations due to Prizm lenses' limited coatings and reduced scratch resistance.
Prizm 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 Golf has a VLT of 30%, which officially makes it a Category 2 lens (a relatively lighter tint). We will see that for some sports purposes, this is ideal.
Is it eligible for prescription?
Yes. For all Oakley Prescription needs, check out SportRx, the best place to get Oakley. Use code SCIENCE10 for $10 off your purchase.
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 of the lens has a green mirror that has blue highlights and changes depending on the angle of the view and lighting. It is one of the most visually dynamic mirrors you will find.
The tint is a pinkish rose, with browner, greenish highlights towards the sides where the mirror changes color.
What does the view look like?
Unlike many of the other Prizm Sport lenses, which lean violet/purple in their tint, the Prizm Golf is more rose, and a lighter, pinker rose. This makes the lens much less natural to look through until you adjust, and much slower to adapt to. It provides a huge color boost with a warm and vibrant 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, 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. This lens often takes me longer to adjust to than other rose lenses
Rose lenses significantly enhance red hues and also intensify blues. They filter out more green light, but because our eyes are particularly sensitive to green, this results in a balanced brightness of colors. The overall view takes on a redder tone, adding warmth and enhancing colors. Blues appear in a deeper shade, while greens stand out with a more distinct contrast.
The visible light transmission (VLT) of the lens is 30%, which is a category 2 lens. That means it is a relatively light lens that isn't ideal for full sun, and that is true here. It's a bright and colorful lens, and comfortable enough in full sun for golf or similar activities, but I wouldn't wear it boating in direct overhead sun. This is not your workhorse sunglass lens. Even in full sun, you sort of have to be in a mood for that kind of "color pop". It is for this reason that Oakley made Prizm Dark Golf and Prizm Field, which are noticeably darker.
For lenses intended for practical applications such as sports, enhancing the brightness of the view is advantageous (which is why numerous Oakley Sport lenses feature 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 important 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 not uniform across the lens and changes color towards the edges, like other mirrored Prism lenses can do. The tint becomes greener towards the edges in the periphery, but I don't find this to be that noticeable or a problem.
Sunny Conditions
These photos are 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.
This isn't far off but suffers from the limitations of camera lenses, and also has the sun directly in the corner, which would distort colors even in the real world. The sky is redder but not that purple.
This picture is not useful at all. It hasn't even allowed the camera to attempt to adjust, and will look very different to the human eye.
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:
Here we have direct, bright overhead sun (you can see there are barely any shadows) with a bit of diffuse lighting from the clouds.
The view with the Prizm Golf lenses is intense and an explosion of color and contrast. It is also a bright view, as the lens lets in 30% of light, but it is still comfortable enough (unless you are light sensitive).
A dark grey lens will be more comfortable and, in this kind of bright light, not a bad option. It doesn't have even close to the same color and contrast, but in full sun there is already a lot of that, and there is less need to make everything "pop" with color.
Here is the best representation, in my opinion. The sun is behind us (you can see the shadows leaning away from us), and the ambient light washes out colors and heavily reduces contrast.
The Prizm Golf lens warms, brightens, colors, and enhances the view here. It is clear and easy to make out the details in the fairway, rough, and the ball.
From this perspective, a grey lens lags significantly.
Here we have bright haze in the morning. It isn't as bright as full midday sun, but you need something to help with the squinting and make out details.
The Prizm Golf really excels here, adding a lot of highlights to the greens in a way that makes differentiating the ball and slopes much easier.
A grey lens, even a lighter one, does not achieve the same effect and is slightly dull and gloomy for these early morning conditions.
Cloudy Conditions
The Prizm Golf lens is excellent for overcast conditions due to the contrast and color provided by the rose lens and its higher VLT levels. Its warm tint offers a more dynamic and visually engaging experience, making it a better option than grey or green lenses, which can often seem too dim in such settings.
When I play tennis in overcast conditions that still make me squint, I wear Prizm Golf.
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
I have taken the Prizm Golf to the golf course many times, and almost invariably, a friend tries them on and refuses to give them back (I come with a few pairs, so it's okay).
This lens has that "wow" factor and is one of the most prominent sports lenses that Oakley makes. From amateurs to pro golfers, people can see for themselves that the Prizm Golf is a cool lens.
That being said, the Prizm Golf lens is best for lower light conditions like hazy days, bright mornings, overcast, and even rainy (if bright). In full sun, especially in the direction of the sun, it will feel very bright, and you might squint. Some may prefer that and compromise on the high transmission because they want that "pop" and boost.
I generally prefer the Dark Golf lens (compared below), but I wear the Golf lens for overcast while I am golfing or playing tennis. If you can, having both lenses is a great idea because it covers nearly all sport conditions, sunny and otherwise. But the Golf lens is the one that impresses people more.
Do not get caught up in the names of the lenses either. This lens can easily be used for sports like baseball, cricket, etc. The same idea applies to them; this is great for mixed and overcast conditions, and treads water in full sun.
Comparison to the same brand - Oakley
Oakley Prizm Dark 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. Dark Golf is mirrored with a subtle silver mirror. 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. Dark Golf is the best all-around sport lens that Oakley makes in my opinion.
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 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 the Golf has, and it also takes me a minute or two to adjust to it. The functionality of the lens overlaps somewhat with Prizm Dark Golf, and 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, and is fully coated. 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 darker than the Prizm Golf. It will give a more intense view and will feel nearly as “hot” as the Oakley, just much darker. 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.
Dink Eyewear ColorBoost Violet
Dink (really ColorBoost) took what Oakley did with Prizm and ramped it up. The Violet lens has a VLT of 30%, like the Prizm Golf, and is fully coated polycarbonate. The view is even more intense but in a bluer, surreal way.
Check out Dink lenses here. Use code "SUNGLASSSCIENCE10" for 10% off.
Conclusion - Oakley Prizm Golf Lens Review - Should you buy it?
The Oakley Prizm Golf lens is one of the most visually striking and high-performing sport lenses in the Oakley lineup. With its rose base, green mirror, and 30% VLT, it’s tailor-made for overcast, hazy, and mixed-light conditions. It delivers a powerful boost in contrast and color, which can be a game-changer for golfers, tennis players, and other athletes who need help picking up fine detail. While it's not ideal for intense sun or light-sensitive wearers, its clarity and “wow” factor make it an essential piece in a sport lens kit.
If you value contrast and want your view to come alive with color, the Prizm Golf is absolutely worth trying—just give your eyes a few minutes to adjust and prepare to be impressed.
