Talent is a necessity but to be a winner needs more than raw skill – it requires the ability to seek perfection in all aspects of their sporting life; it means never accepting second best.
And remember: modern day athletes cannot afford to rest on their laurels.
Pioneering manufacturers understand this too – none more so than Oakley.
Three decades of innovation has seen them break milestones in technology, permitting their world-class sporting professionals to excel in their chosen field.
Oakley athletes are obviously well-known for looking good, but they don’t want to just look good for the sake of it.
They demand eyewear that improves performance and Oakley provides it.
That includes golfers for whom Oakley has created a range of both golf specific lenses and, uniquely, exclusive designs for women golfers.
Ladies’ European Tour player Breanne Loucks wears Oakley and appreciates how her sunnies allow her to cope with the varying conditions she encounters around the world.
On the course she wears Oakley Commit, a performance design exclusive for women which has an interchangeable lens design, allowing her to adapt to changing light.
The result? Optimized eye performance in virtually any environment.
“I wear the polarized Iridium lenses on normal British-type days,” Breanne explains.
“But when I was recently in Tenerife and Madrid the light was much brighter so I used the golf-specific G30 Black Iridium. It totally reduces glare and increases contrast which is obviously excellent for golf.”
A key aspect of the Oakley range is that the eyewear can be customized.
This has obvious benefits for a fashionista like Breanne, but it is not just about form – it’s about function too.
There are two lens shapes: the subtly squared SQ or the aviator inspired AV.
These can be worn to suit an outfit, but not always – Breanne uses the AV lens, which lies further down the cheek, to create a totally protected vision.
Colour customization can also aid performance because if you care about how you look, the equation is simple: the better you look, the better you play.
“I’ve got a few designs going on at the moment,” says Breanne. “One is white frames, black polarised lens and black ear socks. I quite like the black and white thing. It’s quite chic, ha, ha.”
“I’ve also got my black iridium lens with pink frame and black ear socks.
“The Ladies’ European Tour has got a lot of young players on it now and we all want to turn up in the best outfits – we all talk about it after a round.
“I’m obsessed by fashion and how I look on the golf course. Literally everything has to match.
“That’s why I like Oakley because I can change the ear socks, change the lenses and change the frames to fit my outfit, and it works for me because I feel good when everything matches.”
Together with Ian Poulter, Breanne represents golf in Oakley’s stable of sporting stars that includes the likes of Olympic triathlete Tim Don, cricketer Kevin Pietersen and the world’s fastest sprint-finishing cyclist Mark Cavendish.
You can see more of all of them by watching Oakley’s Armchair Sessions – a series of online video interviews in which the stars discuss their sport whilst slumped on a Chesterfield armchair in an unusual setting.
Ian Poulter and Loucks conducted their interviews whilst sat amongst the wooded fairways and greens of Woburn Golf Club.
With Poulter’s tartan trousers, Loucks’ blond hair and the trademark armchair, it is a bit like what might happen if you mixed Pink with Ronnie Corbett – although the glasses are a bit more cool that the ones little Ronnie waggled when he told his elaborate tales.
They are well worth a watch: off-beat films in which the players discuss their life, their drive, their fashion and their sport.
It’s also worth watching for Loucks’ quirky visualization ideas for executing tough shots.
Asked to describe the hardest shot she could face she opts for a lob shot off a bare lie from the wrong side of the green.
What is she attempting to do?
“Land it like a butterfly with slippers on,” is her enigmatic answer.
It was actually her coach’s image, appealing to her need for visual prompts.
Has it worked?
“Yeah! First round in Wales this year I was through the back of the ninth green and the ball was stuck in rubbish. The pin was back left and the green was running away from me.
“I was thinking, ‘This is a good time to land it like a butterfly with slippers on.’
“My dad said afterwards that he thought keeping it on the green would be a good shot but I stiffed it to about a foot! He couldn’t believe it.”
The butterfly had his slippers on, took out his pipe and sat back with a glass of claret and the crossword …
discount golf equipment
happy day!