I have just enjoyed reading your article in the BMJ "Is golf bad for
your hearing?". Initially I wondered what the suspected cause may be but
then when I realised you were investigating the sounds made by the new
drivers I was not surprised at all by the findings you made.
I remember testing the King Cobra speed LD driver with the stiff
shaft a few months ago in the range. The first time I hit the ball I
thought I had broken the club the noise was so loud and disconcerting.
Suffice to say I did not buy it purely because of the noise even though
the results were spectacular. I wondered whether when you tested the
sounds made by the drivers it was done in a range or outdoors? I think
this may make a difference to the noise levels reaching the ear. Most
driving ranges have wooden/metal panels surrounding the golfer which
obviously reflect the noise back towards the ears. I suspect there's no
evidence to suggest that professional golfers who are at the end of their
careers have significantly worse hearing than control groups because the
older drivers didn't produce such a loud noise. Perhaps though there will
be evidence in the future when people who play very regularly with new
drivers for a long period have significant hearing damage. I shall keep my
ear to the ground so to speak.
Rapid Response:
Letter to author
From: itlogan@hotmail.com
To: malcolm_buchanan123@hotmail.com
Subject: BMJ article.
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2009 11:06:04 +0000
Dear Dr. Buchanan,
I have just enjoyed reading your article in the BMJ "Is golf bad for
your hearing?". Initially I wondered what the suspected cause may be but
then when I realised you were investigating the sounds made by the new
drivers I was not surprised at all by the findings you made.
I remember testing the King Cobra speed LD driver with the stiff
shaft a few months ago in the range. The first time I hit the ball I
thought I had broken the club the noise was so loud and disconcerting.
Suffice to say I did not buy it purely because of the noise even though
the results were spectacular. I wondered whether when you tested the
sounds made by the drivers it was done in a range or outdoors? I think
this may make a difference to the noise levels reaching the ear. Most
driving ranges have wooden/metal panels surrounding the golfer which
obviously reflect the noise back towards the ears. I suspect there's no
evidence to suggest that professional golfers who are at the end of their
careers have significantly worse hearing than control groups because the
older drivers didn't produce such a loud noise. Perhaps though there will
be evidence in the future when people who play very regularly with new
drivers for a long period have significant hearing damage. I shall keep my
ear to the ground so to speak.
Regards,
Dr. Ian Logan
GP trainee and golf enthusiast.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests