A report in the latest edition of the British Medical Journal claims that some players are at risk if they use a new generation of thin-faced titanium drivers that help propel the ball further.
The booming noise the metal club head makes when it strikes the ball was found by ear specialists to have reduced the hearing of a 55-year-old golfer.
Subsequent tests of six titanium clubs against six thicker-faced stainless steel models found that the former all produced greater sound levels.
Dr Malcolm Buchanan, an ear, nose and throat specialist and one of the report's authors, said: "Our results show that thin-faced titanium drivers may produce sufficient sound to induce temporary or even permanent cochlear damage in susceptible individuals.
"Wearing earplugs is a possibility, although it may prove too radical for some."
The doctors, based at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, conducted the tests after the 55-year-old attended their clinic with tinnitus and reduced hearing in his right ear.
He told them his titanium club sounded "like a gun going off" when it hit the ball and they could find no other explanation for his hearing loss.
The new breed of clubs was designed with a thinner metal face to produce a "trampoline" effect, thereby allowing the player to hit the ball longer distances.
"Caution should be exercised by golfers who play regularly with thin-faced titanium drivers to avoid damage to their hearing," the doctors' report concluded.
Golfing experts agreed the new clubs were louder, but doubted they could cause hearing loss.
Andrew Coltart, a European Tour player, said: "There is definitely a difference in sound levels between the two types of clubs but I would be amazed if they put your hearing in jeopardy."
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