I almost always wear sunglasses when I play golf...on top of my cap bill. Hey, that's what good golfers do, right? And I put them on as I walk to my ball, or look down the fairway. But as far as wearing them on my face during my swing? Nope, can't do it. They slip off, they alter my view a bit, they simply don't help my game. So I had pretty much resigned myself to a life of squinting after my shots, but looking cool as I sauntered down the fairways (or towards the woods in my case). And I had run the gamut of glasses; Oakley, Adidas, Bolle, and Nike just to name a few brands I've gone through over the last few years.

Recently, I decided to try one other pair. My latest attempt at finding the right shades took me to a brand called Tifosi.

My criteria for sunglasses are fairly simple, yet hard to accomadate. Do they fit right? Do they look good? Do they help my vision? That's it. Polarized lenses, fancy frames, UV protection, who else is wearing them, those things - while all important to some degree - just don't enter my mind so much. Well, I can tell you that Tifosi does real well in all of those areas. You can go to their website and read all about it if you wish. But again, what about my stringent criteria?

1.) Fit - These glasses actually fit my face and stay put. They seem sturdy and durable and 36 holes of golf per day for 3 days straight didn't alter the way gripped on my face - they were the same hole #1 and hole #108.

2.) Look - Seriously, I don't care if these glasses had a magical aura that guaranteed that the wearer never made a bogey, if they made me look like Elton John in his heyday, I'm not putting them on. Well, once again, Tifosi passes the test. They are stylish and sporty - and they offer a wide selection of styles and lenses. In fact, some styles (like my Kilos), you can change out lenses depending on the activity and time of day. How cool is that?

3.) Vision - When I first put these glasses on, I didn't notice anything special. They seemed to perform as any other pair of sunglasses. But somewhere later in the round, I realized that I was putting really well. I mean, ridiculously well. Was I reading the greens better? Perhaps. Could it just have been pure luck? Maybe. But I know that my eyes weren't as tired after the rounds each day and that I really thought that the glasses made at least a psychological difference.

I was there with a group of six golfers, and though we're all single digit handicaps, I had the 5th highest handicap in the group. At the end of the trip, I had double the number of birdies as anyone else. Was it the glasses? I'd like to think it was my natural talent but uh, we pretty much know better. Ha.

So I'm not going to tell you that Tifosi glasses are the best you'll ever find. Anyone who says something like that is a paid shill or a flat out liar. (for any pair of glasses). But I think they are as good as any you can get at a reasonable price (in fact, they are priced lower than most designer names) and they absolutely work as advertised. Tifosi has become a big name in the Atlanta golf market, go into just about any pro shop and you'll see their displays. I know of several local pros who wear their glasses and they can pretty much wear any type they want. And now you now of one golf writer that has finally found a pair of glasses he'll wear during his round. There's no sponsorship, no advertising, no agreement made for me to say something like this. I'm saying because I genuinely like these glasses. Try them. I think you will too.