Doctors say golfing can make you go deaf, sounds like pseudo-science to me Options

[winsecure]

News article describing how some doctors are claiming titanium drivers can cause hearing damage.

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Doctors-say-go...ing-.4841691.jp

I'm rather underwhelmed with the entire article. Here's one jewel towards the end of the article" "GOLF, the consensus goes, is one of the great non-contact sports. Yet its long history is littered with tales of unpleasant injuries." They go on to pick a handful of golf related injuries for anectodal evidence that golf is somehow a sport laden with injuries. Ridiculous.

[Johnny]

what ?

[Skaffa77]

Reminds me of another urban legend that says too much of a certain "activity" can make a guy go blind...

[Grum]

Reminds me of another urban legend that says too much of a certain "activity" can make a guy go blind...

*fumbles around blindly* Who said that!?!

Seriously though, 460CC drivers in doors/at indoor ranges are well above safe working noise levels, albeit they it isnt constant noise.

I have been known to give up hitting driver at certain ranges after so many shots to go easy on my ears. My hibore, 905R and SQ are particularly loud indoors!

[Ghost_Orchid]

I got rid of my Cobra Sz-440 because after my range sessions, I always had a ringing left ear.

Might be something to the report.

[fedorsha]

It's true it happened to me. I'm now in the process of learning sign language. I'm in the process of a law suit with the maker of the driver.

[lebanontngolfer]

Yep, it must be working, 'cuz I can't hear what the heck these idiots are saying. Must have been testing a Nike square driver, tho.

FORE!!!!!

[blaird]

That would make sense. My dad always said if someone set up a hearing aid stand outside the pro shop at our course they would make a fortune b/c none of our members can hear worth a crap!!

[BEND OF THE RIVE...]

Taylor Made golf will now come out with a NEW and improved, higher tech, sound blocking, TP ear plugs every 6 months....

[mjtoal]

This was in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal. The Christmas edition always has a few mildly amusing types of report on off-beat subjects - one year they did a piece based on whether breaking wind while in the operating theatre is an infection risk - this question was asked by a scrub nurse. I will give the answer to that to anyone who wants to know.

Also, whether orthopaedic surgeons had bigger hands than other types of physician. This was based on the theory that they are a less well evolved form of life and are therefore closer to apes. Turns out they do have bigger hands. Who knew?

Anyway, it looks like they linked the frequency of the hearing loss to the frequency of the sound of the driver, so it is probably true.

[Grum]

So, should we be worried about surgeons and scrub nurses farting in theatre mjtoal?

[italianstallion]

If its true I'd rather go deaf than not play this game.

[mjtoal]

So, should we be worried about surgeons and scrub nurses farting in theatre mjtoal?

If they wear underwear, should be OK.

Seriously.

[stevestrike]

I guess you could pop one of those foam ear plugs in your ear while hitting your driver. You might gets some strange looks though.

[Pinehurst1999]

You are more likely to get hit in the head by a ball and lose hearing.

[Cally UK]

And they didn't mention the nagging from the wife!!!

[stage1350]

HHH-WHAT?

Personally, I think you are at a greater risk of hearing loss from the tools that yell "You da man!!!" or "Get in the hole!!!"

[mitchdoc]

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/dec17_2/a2835

Well Seems the Cobra and most if not all of the new Titanium drivers are so loud ( even if we dont think some are) that they are damaging our hearing.
Read form the above link!!!!!

[carogers1]

I feel bad for the guy. Hopefully now the club makers will quit producing the drivers that sound that way. I hate standing over a put on a green, and someone 3 holes away tees off with one of those things.

This post has been edited by carogers1: Jan 6 2009, 02:40 AM

[golfguy10]

well I sold mine last night. I am glad I did

[mitchdoc]

what did you say?
can't hear ya

[dirtyboy]

Funny, it looks to me that the ping was the loudest, followed by Mizuno, nike, Callaway and one I've never heard of. All these were louder than the Cobra! Maybe your eyes have gone first.

[klaymon]

My father-in-law has a Cleveland driver (XLS I think). I took it to the range one day to try it out and had to put it in the bag after two hits. I thought I was going to bust an eardrum.

[PurePursuit]

This has some merit, and its definitely not just Cobra. My old Hibore XL tour, and my current Hyper X have a tendency to cause ringing in my ear whenever I pull one.

[Ham Solo]

Earmuffs will now probably be the rage this year. I hope Rocket Tour makes some.

[ROBOPTI]

OHHHHHHH NOOOOOOO .... Run everyone runnnnnnn !!!!!!!!!!! ... It's a Loud Cobra driver

Thank God this thread brought us up to speed on the volume of the modern day driver. I didn't know that ... Weeeeewwwww ....

I called a few connections I have and discovered that this is not the first time this has been studied - Here is a test of the decibel levels of the last Nike Sumo2 conducted at FBI Headquarters.

The military was considering use of the modern day driver as a weapon - but went with the current sonic wave technology as they were unable to produce enough left handed heads for the existing infantry numbers.

Also - After reading the this thread - I called COBRA PIMP DADDY .. he advised me that the current modern day titanium driver - being led proudly by the Cobra line is responsible for ....

A. Global Warming (for you libs)
B. Decay of the Ozone layer
C. JFKs demise
D. Killed Elvis
E. Rising Gas Prices

and so on .................

Persimmon it is for me now !!!!!!!!!!

JUUUUSTTTTT TEASIN

This post has been edited by ROBOPTI: Jan 6 2009, 10:32 AM

[daughterscameron]

YES!! Thanks ROBO. I knew my 7 Cobra drivers were good for something!

[robb01]

Who would have thought, losing your hearing playing golf

[pocketfulladoubl...]

I'm a noise control engineer for a living, so I have some understanding of hearing, but am not a doctor. There are basically two ways to lose your hearing: 1) exposure to very high sound pressures resulting in what are called temporary threshold shifts and permanent threshold shifts, and 2) exposure to elevated background continuous noise over the course of many years such as working in a factory. The EPA provides safe working levels for both cases, and if I recall somewhere around 120dB peak temporary threshold shifts set in (could be off on the exact number) - basically things will seem quieter for a bit and then hearing is restored, sometimes you will hear ringing in the ear. Louder levels like 140dB peak (again, have to check on the exact number) can cause permanent damage. There is a difference in how sound is measured whether it is an average or the peak level. For our case here, we're looking at peak levels. I'm going to go test this article with a professional sound level meter and compare it to the EPA levels, and see if this is nonsense. My gut feeling is that it is actually valid. I'll post back.

[sevam1]

Well I guess that does it. Science is committed to killing the worlds' two favorite passtimes.

One makes you deaf and the other makes you go blind.

What's left? Tiddly winks? Why go on?

Sevam1

[jaycajun]

A few years back (4 or 5) I bought a Taylor Made R-7 and it was so loud that it hurt my ears and those next to me on the range. But as time went on the decible levels got considerably lower. Not sure of it was the face becoming weaker or that I never hit it on the sweet spot again....

[Mike1]

You not only have to worry about hitting a big slice or duck hook with your titanium driver, you now have to worry about losing your hearing. http://www.yahoo.com/s/1012254

[Range-Rat]

doctors suggest you wear earplugs! lol yeah OK...

[robb01]

doctors suggest you wear earplugs! lol yeah OK...

hmmm, any rules regarding the useage of earplugs? Hah,

[Slapjax7s]

There will be actual testing done at this years British Open where they will make more of a fuss about it. I was involved with ABC shooting this story.

[InTheHole]

I love how they use the words "sonic boom" in this story (in the original article).... So we have an impact at over 730 MPH.... How far would that drive go (if there were a ball left afterwards)!?!?

What a load of crap.

Well, next years crop of new drivers will include at least one called the Mach One.

I would question the scientific validity of their testing- where was the sound pressure level actually measured? On the ground, at the ears of the person swinging? Ears can tolerate loud sounds for short durations. And this is pretty short.

I think it's time to pull out my original Nike Sumo2. The louder, the better!

[freddiec]

What did you say? LOL. I couldn't resist.

[ohiodawg8]

As a fan of guns and golf, seriously? My usual group has some big hitters but I don't think they are as loud as a gun going off

[rymail00]

I stand next to jet engines all day at work, that will ruin your hearing with no earplugs.
NOT MY G10 THOUGH!!!!

Man i hate when news people try and scare people with the dumbest SH!T! They make these outlandish stories up. What are they going to mak up next that smoking and drinking is bad for you! The nerve of some of these people

[DemolitionMan]

With some of the people I golf with, their shout of "F**K! is a lot louder than Titanium. Such a loose term these days - "Doctors".

Can't wait for the follow up story when some crackpot lawyer files a class action lawsuit against Nike or Acushnet (because of Cobra) for having drivers too loud and damaging the hearing of thousands of golfers - well in Nike's case, hundreds of golfers (sorry, couldn't resist).