Inventor Says His Sunglasses Help Your Golf Game

MELBOURNE, Australia - Inventor Jim Shreenan says his sunglasses won't just protect your eyes from damaging rays, they'll also help lower your golf handicap.

Shreenan, a 54-year-old Scotsman who has lived in Melbourne since 1960, has spent five years and his life savings in developing the wraparound sunglasses he says will help golfers line up shots and keep their heads down during their swing.

The glasses have three small cuts in the plastic lenses - two horizontal slits to help see the line and a third, circular cut in front of the left eye - to ensure a consistent set-up. This makes the golfer acutely aware of head movement during the swing.

Shreenan's glasses, marketed under the name Spot On and selling for about $100, have been endorsed by Greg Norman's coach, Charlie Earp, a leading Australian teaching professional.

"I can't see them proving of much assistance to a professional or outstanding amateur golfer, but it will certainly make a difference to the run-of-the-mill player who has problems keeping his head still," Earp said.

"The glasses are a good aid for players who want to help themselves at practice."

Shreenan said Norman told him the glasses were "a bloody good idea" and gave him encouragement.

The glasses were introduced at the Australian Golf Show in Melbourne this year. So far, no tournament professionals have used them.

The Australian Golf Union has advised Shreenan that the glasses do not contravene the rules of golf but has sent a pair to the Royal and Ancient Club at St. Andrews, Scotland, for an official decision.

If the glasses were to be ruled illegal, Shreenan says they still would be a useful practice device to make golfers aware of their head movements.

Shreenan devised them after having trouble with his own game.

"I was sick and tired of losing to my mates out on the golf course and then having them tell me afterward that I lifted my head," he said.

"Lifting the head and swaying is the biggest contributor of all to the duffing of tee shots, fairway drives, chipping, bunker shots and putting. This device ensures the ball is all I see when I'm standing there ready to hit it.

"Anyone who slices the ball because of head movement will start hitting it straight down the middle. It's a simple idea but it works."

Shreenan, a qualified toolmaker, says the sunglasses don't give instant results, although he has chopped 20 shots off an average round and now goes around in about 90, rather than 110.

"You have to grow into them," he said. Shreenan estimates using the sunglasses for two months will enable most golfers to trim their handicaps.

He believes there will be a worldwide demand for his glasses.

He has patents in Britain, Japan, Spain and Germany and has applied for a patent in the United States. He plans to market the Taiwanese-manufactured glasses internationally.

"The Japanese and American markets are enormous. There is nothing like these glasses available around the world," he said.