Hi All,
I am new to HA’s and was wondering if you wear your HA’s when playing golf? Thank you.
Betty:)
I use them 100% of the time except when I’m showering or sleeping.
I wear them all the time, including when I play golf which is at least once a week. My old HAs were CICs and they had wind issues when riding in a cart. New aids are RIC and I don’t have any wind noise although every once in a while my hat will hit the program button and advance my aid to the next program. That’s easy enough to fix.
cleo
I don’t wear mine when I play; too much input.
Thanks for the input on golf. I think I probably won’t wear them on the course — if it ever stops snowing and we can play golf again! Betty
Lucky me, I have the week off and plan to play Monday & Tuesday at the local course and Wednesday - Friday in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Just out of curiosity, why would you not wear them?
Thought that it might not be a good idea because of the heat - sweating.
jbobp - what do you mean by “too much input”? Thanks.
I often walk the front nine and I sweat a lot. That’s one reason I don’t wear them.
By too much input I mean I don’t want to hear noises around me, cars on the road, other carts, wind noise, other golfers, etc. I like quiet when I play and I still hear some of those things with out the aids, just not as loud.
Golf:
If retired and playing socially, set any Wind Manager to maximum.
If a business person, and sucking up to the boss when playing golf, disable the Wind Manager.
I play golf twice a week and always have my HA’s in. I live in a very warm climate year around but the sweating factor isn’t a problem. I have BTE type of HA’s. I like wearing them while playing because I can hear the sounds of nature around me as well as the swishing of the club through the grass and the sound of good contact with the ball. It’s all good!
What’s a warm climate? I live in Georgia and I sweat a lot, but even if I had a waterproof aid I wouldn’t wear them playing golf. I can hear birds and I can hear the club strike the ball I just like things to be as quiet as possible when I play. Maybe when I get better I’ll feel differently. It’s purely personal preference though.
Well I don’t see anyone mentioning how severe their loss is but if you can hear birds or the club striking the ball then your loss is pretty minimal. I think the quiet factor here may be getting taken to the extreme. Golf courses traditionally are usually pretty quiet to start off with. I mean if you need it that quiet there then how do you justify wearing aids elsewhere. Although I’m not a big golfer I do remember that part of the fun was the interaction shared amongst friends in the foursome. But if you can hear birds without your aids then you probably don’t need them to carry on a conversation.
I’ve been a golfer most of my life and just got hearing aids last year. My hearing has moderate-severe loss. I play with my HA’s in. Usually, I still can’t believe how different things sound since I’ve had my HA’s, the sound of a ball strike included! As a walker on the golf course, the noise of the bag on my back has that much more character to it as well!
I’d say keep your HA’s in and enjoy the clean, crisp sound of the ball hitting the sweetspot! Hopefully…
As far as sweat goes, yes it is a potential problem, but an unlikely one. A sudden thunderstorm is probably far more of a concern (remember that umbrella and a broad rimmed hat). If you are wearing a hat, then the band of your hat is most likely go to absorb the worst of your sweat. If you are using a dehumidifier, any moisture built up during golf is going to be removed by that.
Enjoy!
Evil
I never said I had a severe loss. I can hear birds, however I hear more birds with my aids. I play primarily by myself and what I try to limit in regards to input is wind noise. I find the courses noisy, carts, people yelling on other holes, etc. It’s a game I’m trying to improve in and I find any noise when I play bothersome.
I did play in a foursome Thursday and Friday and my problem in a group is when other golfers speak while looking away from me or when standing off to the side. Some people don’t speak very loudly and half of the twosome I was paired with Thursday was a lady; I couldn’t hear her at all.
Can you still hear without them when someone yells “FORE”:eek:
LOL. I hope so.
I trialled a pair of Oticon BTE’s (RIC’s) and each time I worked out (jogged or indoor aerobics) they would shut off. One or the other, or sometimes both. It took a couple of times to determine that it was due to my sweating…and I don’t even mean a LOT of sweat. It was frustrating and ultimately a deal-breaker for me, especially since I live in FL.
With CIC’s, though, I wear them all the time except to shower and sleep.
My understanding is that the biggest problem with hearing aids and golf is the wind noise. Evidently, there’s a lot of turbulence in hearing aid microphones. Resound has a model that locates the microphone within the concha, which is that skinny foldy thingie above the ear canal. This gives the the microphone some protection and works great when golfing. At least, that’s the the factory reps say. Most aids will digital wind noise suppression. I don’t know how effective they are so-so.
Sweat could also be a problem. A lot of the BTEs these days have shells that repel water with nano-coatings, whatever the heck that is. My recommendation is that you wear your aids at the course and try it. Make sure your aids are in warranty though. Good luck!