The majority of golf equipment on the market today is designed to eliminate the pesky slice. Companies have resorted to closed faces, offset and moveable weights (among other things) in hopes of keeping the ball in play. The Bob Burns No Bananas driver has taken slice fighting to a whole new level and people are starting to take notice. We have had numerous emails asking about this driver so we decided to put it to the test!
What The Company Says…
Bob Burns has brought all the slice fighting technologies to the table here. Most companies incorporate one or two of these features into a club but the No Bananas has them all. The company has set out to make the ultimate anti-slice club and the combination of an offset, a closed face, increased perimeter weighting and a flexible shaft really helps keep the ball in play. Let’s look a bit closer at each of the above technologies and how each of them fit into the No Bananas…
Offset – This is one of the most noticeable features of this club. Bob Burns has gone all out here and added a half inch of offset into the mix.
Closed Face – A very popular technology with most companies and again Bob Burns has taken it to the max. Why stop at 1 or 2 degrees when you can offer 5 degrees?
Increased Perimeter Weighting – This is a technology that has really caught on in recent years. Bob Burns has added more weight to the heel and the toe to help keep the face square through impact.
Flexible Shaft – The folks at Bob Burns noted that many golfers play a shaft that is too stiff for their swings. The No Bananas features a very flexible stock shaft although the company does offer other custom options.
The club is also available in three different sizes.. 430CC, 360CC and 310CC… a refreshing idea in today’s 460CC world.
What Our Readers And Customers Say…
I have yet to have a real problem getting this into people’s hands… most golfers jump at the chance to correct their slice. One of the biggest knocks on this club that we’ve heard has to do with it’s overall look… it’s tough to make a half inch offset and an extremely closed face look appealing to the eye but Bob Burns has done a very admiral job. These comments tend to come from the slightly more accomplished player… someone that probably wouldn’t use the club anyways. We found that the average player looking to rid themselves of a slice is pretty open to anything that works… no matter what it looks like! Most people liked it’s overall size (not to mention the various clubhead size options) and it’s sound on contact.
A lot of our customers and readers noted that the No Bananas didn’t hit it quite as far as many other drivers on the market. It’s something that we noticed too while testing it but I really think you need to take the good with the bad… a loss of a few yards in distance isn’t all that bad when the drive is down the middle!
So the big question… does it work? The answer is yes. We’ve had both readers and customers rave about this club and it’s ability to keep the ball in play. Sure it looks a bit strange and sure it doesn’t carry a huge brand name but none of that matters for the average golfer that now routinely hits second shots from the fairway. The No Bananas is one of the best anti-slice options on the market.
What We Say…
We really didn’t know what to think when we first saw the No Bananas. The first that popped into my mind was “gimmick”. How many times have we heard about a magical driver that promises to hit the ball straight and more importantly how many times have these clubs actually delivered?
I remember first taking the No Bananas out to the range and hitting about a dozen balls with a near 45 degree open stance… only to watch the ball sail as straight as an arrow. We then passed it along to every slicer we could think of and the results were the same… if it didn’t stop the slice completely it definitely kept the ball in the fairway.
Two big warnings here though and the first is pretty obvious. Someone that doesn’t slice shouldn’t bother trying this club… unless you enjoy hitting funny hooks. This club isn’t designed for you and won’t do anything to help you. The second warning is something that we noticed a lot when testing the No Bananas. Golfers need to check all of their bad “swing fighting” techniques at the door before trying this club. A lot of players will close the clubface at set up to help keep the ball in play. Trust us… you don’t need to do that here. Closing this face more than it already is will really mess with your ball flight. Set up normal and swing normal… and get ready to hit the ball straighter!