We’re Sharing Sound Tips to Keep You in the Swing of Things
Golf bag? Check. Gloves? Check. Optimal hearing? All set! Hitting the famed Palmetto Golf Club greens isn’t just any old visit. It’s a breathtaking step into history, with the Aiken, South Carolina, campus possibly being the second-oldest golf club in the United States. Add in all the sounds of each exciting round — whether the whoosh of a club or jokes between players — and you’re in for an unforgettable time.
At Hearing Associates of South Carolina, we understand how important sound is to your golf game. From improving your swing or catching important cues to networking or taking in the Palmetto Golf Club’s storied environs, hearing can play a big role in enjoying the full experience. Read on to learn five ways wearing or upgrading your hearing aids can help “putt” your A game in play.
Keeping Safe and Alert
Fore! Like just about any sport, golf can deliver big thrills but isn’t without its hazards. If someone accidentally slices a drive into your direction, it’s important not to be in the ball’s path — ‘cause, wowch! Hopefully the golfer who launched that shot will shout out an alert. Hearing devices can make it easier to catch the warning, so you can take cover.
Golf carts, wildlife, and even changes in weather conditions can trigger the need for precautions. Being able to detect and recognize sounds that indicate danger or risk of injury — maintenance vehicles, for example, or advancing thunder heading your way — can help ensure your safety, provide critical peace of mind, and keep you alert throughout your game.
Strengthening Your Swing
What makes a great drive? Sound is definitely in the mix. Almost any golfer who’s been nurturing their skills knows the feeling and sound when they’ve hit a great shot. Linking certain sounds with good club-to-ball contact can take practice and careful listening, including capturing real-time feedback from an instructor. Clear, crisp audio through your hearing device comes in handy in recognizing those coveted sounds.
That same recognition adds a boost when seeking just the right set of golf clubs. Some golf shops may offer in-house demonstrations or simulators, letting you try out different clubs. Knowing the distinctive sound cues you’re after goes a long way. Being able to listen for those cues as well as hear insights from the store staff can help ensure you leave the golf store with a club you can count on.
Staying Steady on Your Feet
Mechanisms in the inner ear contribute to your sense of balance, which helps support your game. It’s no wonder then that hearing loss can go hand in hand with dizziness, vertigo, and problems staying steady on your feet. Even those with mild hearing loss could have a tripled risk of falling, per an investigation by Johns Hopkins and National Institute on Aging researchers.
The good news? Taking steps to hear your best — including using quality hearing technology as prescribed — may help keep you steady on your feet. A study by University of Michigan investigators, for instance, showed a 13% reduced risk of fall-related injuries among older adults who were newly diagnosed with hearing problems and treated with hearing aids.
Keeping Up With the Conversation
When it comes down to it, the greatest part of golf is the people. Wherever there’s golf, there’s no shortage of networking, camaraderie, good-natured heckling, and catching up. It’s a social sport at heart, and connecting with others is a big reason many take up the game. With their directional microphones, noise-reduction capabilities, and other benefits, hearing aids can make it easy to stay in the thick of the conversation.
Your devices can also help support self-confidence. Untreated hearing loss has long been associated with social isolation, anxiety, and depression, which can impede confidence and empowerment. Research has shown lower odds of depression with hearing aid use, and adults have reported improved relationships, sense of confidence, and more.
Minding Your Game
Golf requires concentration, strategy, and sometimes emotional control. That takes brainpower. Hearing loss, however, is linked to cognitive decline, which can affect the ability to process information, remember details, and fully engage. One study showed that older adults with hearing loss may encounter thinking and memory issues 30% to 40% faster than their healthy-hearing peers. Another found up to a quadrupled risk of dementia.
With hearing aid use, however, the risk of dementia may be substantially lower and cognition might even improve, per a growing body of exciting research. One major study released in July 2023, for example, showed that hearing aid usage may help curb cognitive decline by nearly 50% among older adults with greater risk in the first place. For brain health, we “lobe” to hear it!
Are you having a tough time catching important sounds on the course? Don’t let hearing loss drive a wedge between you and your golf game. We can help with a hearing consultation, a clean and check of your current devices, and demos of the latest cutting-edge technology. Schedule your personalized visit with our caring team today, and tee up for a better quality of life!
Did You Know?
- If you have hearing loss, you’re not alone. It affects an estimated 1.5 billion-plus youth and adults around the globe, per the World Health Organization, and often can be effectively managed with hearing aids.
- Today’s best hearing aids are smaller and more advanced than ever, with conveniences such as invisibility, rechargeability, smartphone compatibility, the sophistication to track brain and body health, and the ability to stream music, TV, and other audio right to your ears.
- Less than 1 in 5 people who could be helped by hearing aids actually use them, according to public-health experts, but we’re dedicated to changing that and changing lives — one community member at a time.