Can playing golf damage your hearing?
If you use a new-generation thin-faced titaniam driver, it might be wise to get a set of ear plugs too. According to experts, the loud thud - or “sonic boom” - the metal head makes when it strikes the ball could damage your hearing.
Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), ear specialists outlined the case of a 55-year-old man who had been playing with a King Cobra LD titanium club three times a week for 18 months. He sought medical help when he became slightly deaf in his right ear and experienced unexplained ringing (tinnitus).
After conducting tests, doctors at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital concluded that his hearing problems were typical of the kind of damage that comes from exposure to loud noises.
One thing is for sure, the King Cobra LD club is not quiet! People often say the loud bang drives them crazy.
As a further test, the doctors brought in a pro golfer to hit some shots with six thin-faced titanium clubs from manufacturers like King Cobra, Callaway, Nike and Mizuno. All made more noise than standard, and thicker, stainless steel drivers. The loudest was the Ping G10 which produced 130 decibels.
Golf author and consultant Malcolm Campbell is sceptical that the new clubs pose a threat to hearing : “I have been playing golf for 60 years and there’s nothing wrong with my hearing,” he says. “But it is true that some of the modern drivers do make a much louder noise than previous models. Some of them sound like a six pack of coke being dropped onto a concrete floor, and I wouldn’t play with them for that reason.”
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