Golf can be bad for hearing

Golfers using a certain kind of titanium clubs are apparently at risk of hearing loss. According to a study in the British Medical Journal, golfers using "thin-faced titanium drivers" should probably wear earplugs. The researchers from the Norfolks and Norwich University Hospital investigated the matter after seeing a patient whose hearing damage seems to have been caused by playing with one of the clubs three times a week for 18 months. The patient claims that when he hits the ball, it sounds "like a gun going off." Interestingly, the clubs may have be designed to produce the satisfying sonic boom. From the BBC News:

"There has been a tendency to make booming clubs for drivers," (said sports equiipment engineering expert Dr Martin Strangwood at the University of Birmingham.) But if this were a problem it would be easy to remedy by filling the head of the club with foam to reduce the sound."

He said wearing earplugs was another solution, but said players use the noise as feedback to assess how they are playing and how well their equipment is performing. "So it might not work for all."

"Playing golf can 'damage hearing'"

[#1 posted by UglyDeafMuslimPunkGurl , January 5, 2009 9:58 AM]

well, thank god I don't have to worry about that...!

[#2 posted by mdh , January 5, 2009 10:02 AM]

I think thay should be banned, think of the effects of the second hand smo... er... sound on the other players and especially the staff. I cannot imagine any reasonable accomodations. Golf is over.

[#3 posted by Guysmiley , January 5, 2009 10:38 AM]

Pfft. The WORST offender is 130dB? Measured at what, the club head?

Gunshots are in the range of 140-170db @ 3 meters. And decibels are logarithmic, so it's not "just 10 more".

[#4 posted by GNeuner , January 5, 2009 10:41 AM]

enlighten me please: why do people need a golf club which is as loud as a gun?
Wasn't golf supposed to be such a quiet sport?

[#5 posted by Ryan Waddell , January 5, 2009 10:49 AM]

I'm sorry, but the loudest titanium driver I've ever heard has not been anywhere NEAR as loud as a gun. Not even as loud as a gun with hearing protection on.

[#6 posted by xzzy , January 5, 2009 10:52 AM]

Golf hasn't been quiet since Happy Gilmore showed up on the scene.

Shooter was right, he did destroy the game.

[#7 posted by Katana , January 5, 2009 10:55 AM]

As 'NHS: behind the headlines' points out, this study probably wasn't entirely serious:

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/01January/Pages/Golfandhearingdamage.aspx

[#8 posted by KurtMac , January 5, 2009 11:38 AM]

I never thought I'd live to see the day when Golf and NASCAR are found to have something in common.

[#9 posted by Lucifer , January 5, 2009 12:02 PM]

confusion between humor and fact leads to the birth of a new urban legend.

[#10 posted by Itsumishi , January 5, 2009 3:05 PM]

@GuySmiley

120dB is plenty loud enough to cause damage to your hearing.

Also if you're firing a gun then you certainly should be wearing hearing protection!

@RyanWaddell

You're correct a golf club won't be as loud as a gun. However 130dB isn't nearly as loud as 140dB! Not even half as loud.

[#11 posted by Beanolini , January 6, 2009 4:09 AM]

#3, GuySmiley:

Measured at 1.7m from the point of impact, according to the original BMJ article.

Though it is written in a somewhat joky manner, it does seem that the patient's hearing was genuinely damaged by the noise of the club- he apparently stopped using the club due to the unpleasant noise.

(In my opinion, anything that discourages people from playing golf can only be a good thing).

[#12 posted by Spoon Armada , January 6, 2009 6:24 PM]

I avoided buying Nike's square-headed Sasquatch driver for exactly this reason. While I wouldn't say it's as loud as a gunshot, the sound is definitely startling. That's something I don't need in my golf swing. The Cleveland Hi-Bore is also extremely loud on impact. You can always tell when somebody on the driving range is swinging these clubs.