wo weeks ago I was invited by Oakley to attend a press event in Whistler, B.C. to field-test the technology behind their new collection of Prizm lenses. Engineered specifically for each sport, the advantages of Prizm demanded a see-it-to-believe-it environment that could not be recreated in a sales show room.
WHAT IS PRIZM
Prizm is Oakley’s latest lens innovation, years in the making. The technology isolates colors within light spectrum to provide greater contrast and provide more detail specific to its intended sport.
That may sound vague or confusing so here’s an example. You’re on a golf course and you’ve hit your tee shot on the fairway, (nicely done btw). Now you’re hoping to get onto the green and near the hole. Because you’re on a golf course everything looks green, duh. Your second shot lands on the front of the green and takes off like a rocket past the hole and into a sand trap behind the pin.
You spend the next minute cursing yourself in your head wishing you knew the greens were fast and now you’ve got the added pressure of digging your way out of the sand bunker.
Sound familiar? Life could have been different. You could have been wearing Prizm golf. A lens designed for the green spectrum of light and would have shown you that what you thought was green is actually brown, meaning those greens are fast. Really fast.
With this information you opt for a different club knowing you won’t need as much power as you thought.
You swing and this time your ball hooks right into the bushes. You spend the next minute cursing yourself in your head wishing you were better at golf.
No pair of sunglasses will ever compensate for a lack of skill. Although Prizm can’t swing the golf club for you it does arm you with more information than any other pair of sunglasses currently on the market.
INFORMATION IS KING
In life as in sport, informed decisions result in better outcomes and that is where Prizm shines. Eyewear often gets mis-categorized and is lumped into the aesthetic category. Check any sporting goods website and you’ll find sunglasses under Accessories. Sport specific sunglasses like the Prizm collection are not an accessory, they are a piece of equipment, a tool just like a putter.
More helpful than that gadget you bought to know how far away the pin is (unless your name is Bubba Watson or Jordan Speith its farther than you’ll hit the ball.) Prizm is a better investment.
The technology of Prizm is applied to much more than golf. Outdoor winter sports are helped through the added contrast in the whites to distinguish soft powder from hard ice. Trail running and mountain biking benefits include being able to spot loose (read: slippery) dirt and avoid dead branches allowing you to pick better lines and typically improved results.
The Oakley Prizm Experience has changed my perception of eyewear. While the idea of owning 8 different pairs of sunglasses may sound bourgeois to some, the idea that one pair of sunglasses are suitable for every sport is like wearing one pair of shoes. Next time you play ice hockey, try showing up with a golf club and tell me how it goes.
View all imagesPhotos: Rich Glass
wo weeks ago I was invited by Oakley to attend a press event in Whistler, B.C. to field-test the technology behind their new collection of Prizm lenses. Engineered specifically for each sport, the advantages of Prizm demanded a see-it-to-believe-it environment that could not be recreated in a sales show room.
WHAT IS PRIZM
Prizm is Oakley’s latest lens innovation, years in the making. The technology isolates colors within light spectrum to provide greater contrast and provide more detail specific to its intended sport.
That may sound vague or confusing so here’s an example. You’re on a golf course and you’ve hit your tee shot on the fairway, (nicely done btw). Now you’re hoping to get onto the green and near the hole. Because you’re on a golf course everything looks green, duh. Your second shot lands on the front of the green and takes off like a rocket past the hole and into a sand trap behind the pin.
You spend the next minute cursing yourself in your head wishing you knew the greens were fast and now you’ve got the added pressure of digging your way out of the sand bunker.
Sound familiar? Life could have been different. You could have been wearing Prizm golf. A lens designed for the green spectrum of light and would have shown you that what you thought was green is actually brown, meaning those greens are fast. Really fast.
With this information you opt for a different club knowing you won’t need as much power as you thought.
You swing and this time your ball hooks right into the bushes. You spend the next minute cursing yourself in your head wishing you were better at golf.
No pair of sunglasses will ever compensate for a lack of skill. Although Prizm can’t swing the golf club for you it does arm you with more information than any other pair of sunglasses currently on the market.
INFORMATION IS KING
In life as in sport, informed decisions result in better outcomes and that is where Prizm shines. Eyewear often gets mis-categorized and is lumped into the aesthetic category. Check any sporting goods website and you’ll find sunglasses under Accessories. Sport specific sunglasses like the Prizm collection are not an accessory, they are a piece of equipment, a tool just like a putter.
More helpful than that gadget you bought to know how far away the pin is (unless your name is Bubba Watson or Jordan Speith its farther than you’ll hit the ball.) Prizm is a better investment.
The technology of Prizm is applied to much more than golf. Outdoor winter sports are helped through the added contrast in the whites to distinguish soft powder from hard ice. Trail running and mountain biking benefits include being able to spot loose (read: slippery) dirt and avoid dead branches allowing you to pick better lines and typically improved results.
The Oakley Prizm Experience has changed my perception of eyewear. While the idea of owning 8 different pairs of sunglasses may sound bourgeois to some, the idea that one pair of sunglasses are suitable for every sport is like wearing one pair of shoes. Next time you play ice hockey, try showing up with a golf club and tell me how it goes.
View all images
Photos: Rich Glass