The Game of Golf and Scheyden Golf Sunglasses

A painting of early golfers in Scotland circa 1500s.

The first documented reference to golf appeared in an Act of the Scottish Parliament, when on March 6, 1497, King James II banned the game because it distracted his soldiers from their mandatory archery practice.  In 1502 King James IV became the first golfing monarch, lifting the ban and purchasing the first recorded set of golf clubs. The earliest surviving rules of golf were written by the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith for a tournament to be played at Leith Links in 1744.

The evolution of the sport began as a popular pastime for shepherds and the like who would hit rocks with sticks to pass the time. And while origins of the game can be traced back to the Dutch, it was in 15th century Scotland that the sport evolved with rules that we know today as golf. The plains of Scotland were perfect for the game. Wide lawns trimmed short by sheep and goats and natural sand traps made the courses challenging. While the origins of the game of golf are unclear and much debated, it is generally accepted that modern golf originated in Scotland from the Middle Ages onwards.

In 1764 the 18-hole standard for golf courses was established at the Old Course at St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Interestingly enough, the Old Course claims it was established in C. 1400, and claims to be the Home of Golf, where the first game of golf was played some 600+ years ago. At the time the golf course had a 22-hole layout as opposed to the present day course standard of 18 holes. It's Swilcan Bridge and Hell Bunker are recognized around the world, yet the most important feature of the Old Course is that it remains a public course, open to all.

Starting in the 15th century golfers used hand-crafted wooden clubs, usually made with beech wood club heads, ash or hazel wood shafts, and golf balls that were made of compressed feathers wrapped in stitched horse hide. Men's apparel in those days consisted of thick, heavy woolen coats or jackets, often paired with waistcoats (vests) and shirts with starched collars and neckties. Those were complimented with a pair of knickerbockers, paired with knee-high woollen socks and leather shoes or boots, and topped off with a flat cap.

An early painting of Scotsmen playing golf in the 1500s.

Golf Comes To America

In the 18th century there was a large Scottish immigrant population coming into the United States. And while that immigration is given some credit for bringing golf to America, there is a story that in 1657 a pair of allegedly drunk men were arrested after they had been breaking windows with their golf balls. There’s also a 1739 shipping record which documents the arrival of golf equipment from Scotland.

The Savannah Golf Club claims to be the oldest American golf club established in 1794 but, according to the USGA, it was a club in Charleston, South Carolina that was founded in 1786. Like Scotland, the first American golf courses were cattle pastures and village greens but eventually, one hundred years later, golf course architects and professional landscapers began to design golf courses.

The growth of golf as a sport in the United States was slow, starting out as a social event rather than a competition. The interest in golf waned when the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States was waged, and many considered it "unpatriotic" to play golf during the war. 

In 1888 John Reed founded the St. Andrew's Golf Club in Yonkers, New York, often cited as the first permanent golf club in the United States. Public interest exploded in the 1920s, leading to the creation of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship to accommodate players who were not members of private, exclusive clubs.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) was established in 1894, and initially maintained different ball standards from the British R&A until a unified code was adopted in 1952. Golf saw a surge in popularity following World War II, bolstered by figures like Arnold Palmer, which made the sport more accessible and visually engaging, paving the way for the television era. The late 20th and 21st centuries saw the dominance of figures like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, further diversifying the sport and increasing its global audience.

Sunglasses and Golf

For most of golf's history, sunglasses were considered inappropriate for serious play, seen often as a fashion item than an aid to help improve the golfers game. In addition, early sunglasses were considered to be too heavy, bulky, and prone to slipping off their nose. They were found to interfere with the precision required for a golfer's swing. Some players had to wear prescription lenses, but it was much later before they wore them with a dark tint.

By the 1990s there was a shift in attitude regarding sunglasses for golf when younger players and amateurs began wearing wrap around golf sunglasses. As time went on professional players like Fuzzy Zoeller, and later David Duval brought sunglasses into the mainstream on the PGA Tour, and this helped break the stigma that they were merely for style.

Golf sunglasses brands like Oakley and Bolle began developing specialized lens for golf, emphasizing contrast and clarity over simple light reduction Today, many golfers wear sunglasses not only for protection from bright, harsh UV rays, but clarity to be able to see the airborne ball better. In fact, some players like Ben Griffen, have adopted wearing prescription golf sunglasses due to health issues like retinal damage and floaters in their eyes. 

Many golfers believed the sunglasses, especially polarized sunglasses, affected their ability to read the fine grain and slopes of the greens. Also, because golf is deeply rooted in tradition, some players felt that wearing sunglasses interferred with their game, and that they altered their pre-shot routines.

Todays sunglasses for golf are designed to be extremely lightweight and flexible which prevents them from slipping down their face. Many new styles feature a wrap or half-rim design to maximize coverage while offering an unobstructed downward view. Improvements in lens technologies, like that for Scheyden Golf Sunglasses, deliver better visual acuity no matter what the lighting is.

Scheyden Golf Sunglasses

Jeff Herold, the President and CEO of West Coast Trends, Inc., is an entreprenuer and pilot who loves the game of golf. When Herold learned to fly in the late 1990s and looked for sunglasses for himself, he noticed that the eyewear industry lacked aviation specific sunglasses.

While learning to fly Herold noticed that there were not any "headset specific" sunglass frame that were truly designed for total comfort in the cockpit. Though the pilot world is not a vast population, Herold felt the need to begin designing sunglasses that made total sense for aviators, focusing on comfort and functionality. As with everything he has done in the past, he pursued the highest level of quality and manufacturing.

After a trip to Japan, where some of the world’s most renowned eyewear producers are located, Herold set up manufacturing and the Scheyden Precision Eyewear brand was born. Today Scheyden Precision Eyewear engineers the best-in-class sunglasses for discriminating golfers, pilots, and anglers. Scheyden golf sunglasses are the top choice for professional golfers, and are known for their exceptional quality and perfomance.

Check out the Scheyden Precision Eyewear line of sunglasses for golfers on our website at  Aviator Sunglasses.  

I hope that you enjoyed this trip through the history of golf and sunglasses.

Until next time, keep your eyes safe and focused on what's ahead of you, Hersch!