It may or may not be a wise thing to do from a health and safety perspective, but the simple answer to the headline question here from a Rules of Golf perspective is, yes, but with a couple of limitations as mentioned in Rule 4.3(a). In essence, the answer to this question is pretty much the same as the answer to ‘Can You Play Music From A Speaker During A Golf Competition?’, which you will also find on the Golf Monthly website.
As with that article, we’re not really addressing whether you should wear headphones on the course during a competition, but rather whether or not you can from a Rules perspective. For many, a round of golf is a social occasion with chit-chat and banter all part of the experience. If one of the group sends out a clear message that they’re not interested in conversation or social interaction for the next four hours by sticking on a pair of headphones, many golfers would understandably be a bit miffed and possibly resolve to make that their last ever game with the can-wearer.
But what about the legality of it from a Rules perspective? Well, it all depends on what the purpose of the headphones is and what you’re playing through them. Rule 4.3a(4) says simply this:
Allowed
Listening to audio or watching video on matters unrelated to the competition being played (such as a news report or background music). But in doing so, consideration should be shown to others (see Rule 1.2).
Not Allowed
Listening to music or other audio to eliminate distractions or to help with swing tempo.
In our speaker story mentioned earlier, we then cross-referenced with Rule 1.2, which addresses standards of player conduct, part of which is “not distracting the play of another player”. Clearly, if headphones rather than speakers are involved, this would be extremely unlikely via all but the tinniest of headphones with the volume set to 11… and even then!
Ultimately then, this one comes down to integrity and the player being honest about what they're playing, although in an age of highly effective noise-cancelling headphones, eliminating distractions must become a more serious possibility than in the case of playing music through a speaker. In my view, it could be quite hard to argue that wearing such headphones isn’t to eliminate distractions as surely that is the sole purpose of noise cancellation?
Beyond that, could someone be playing a particular song, having discovered that its tempo or timbre helps them with their golf swing’s tempo? I guess the only way to know for sure would be to ask them, but then we’re into the realms of one man’s or woman’s word against another’s, and surely few golfers would really want to get involved in such a to-and-fro? If you’re looking for a further steer, I’m afraid the Clarifications to the Rules have nothing further to say about Rule 4.3a(4), so the Rule itself is all you’ve got to go on.
Certainly for me, it’s something I’ve never encountered in 44 years of playing the game, so unless your experience is otherwise, surely it’s something not worth getting too worked up about? And those who really dislike the notion will be pleased to know that committees may choose to prohibit or restrict the use of audio and video devices via Model Local Rule G-8, as follows:
Model Local Rule G-8
Rule 4.3a(4) is modified in this way: During a round, a player must not listen to or watch content of any nature on a personal audio or video device.
Penalty for breach of Local Rule – see Rule 4.3.
Rule 4.3 says that it’s the general penalty for a first breach and disqualification for a second. The more likely ‘penalty’, though, is surely self-inflicted isolation and a dwindling list of fellow golfers keen to head out with the headphone-wearing perpetrator.
