Are you one of those golfers whose normal shot is a slice? A big banana ball that you've never been able to improve upon?
If you answered "yes" and "yes," then you might want to say, "Yes, we have No Bananas."
"No Bananas" is the brand name of a series of anti-slice clubs developed by PGA Master Professional Bob Burns. Burns, named to several best-instructors-in-America lists over his many years in golf, owns the Bob Burns Custom Clubs & Golf Learning Center in Appleton, Wisc.
The flagship of the Bob Burns Custom Club line is the No Bananas driver, which has earned accolades from Golf Digest - being called a possible "ultimate fix" for slicers in a 2005 issue, then being named to the 2006 Hot List. The driver also recently received a great review from Fairways & Greens magazine.
Said F&G:
"A month's worth of testing by Fairways & Greens' most notorious slicer on several kinds of course terrain ... revealed the 'No Bananas' driver as the real deal. Even the most obvious out-to-in pass at the ball resulted in little more than a 10-yard fade, more than enough control to keep the sphere in the short stuff ..."
The only negative we've seen mentioned about the No Bananas lineup is that when the slicer makes his or her rare good swing - a swing that is on or close to being on place - a dead-pull is a distinct possibility.
That's because of the way the No Bananas is constructed - its slice-fighting approach would be a pull-producing approach for golfers who don't slice. But if do slice ... well, "yes, we have No Bananas."
The No Bananas driver accomplishes its anti-slice mission by combining a half-inch of offset with a face angle that is 5-degrees closed, with extra weight in the toe (to further help produce a closed face at impact) for good measure.
The titanium driver comes in sizes of 310cc, 360cc and 430cc, and carries a price tag of $350 for the biggest model and $300 for the 310cc and 360cc models.
In addition to the driver Bob Burns Custom Clubs also offers No Bananas fairway woods, No Bananas hybrids and a full set of No Bananas irons. All use the combination of offset, closed face and toe weight to battle the banana ball.
The iron set (3-PW) checks in at $600. The hybrids come in 21-, 24-, and 27-degree models and sell for $125 each. And the fairway woods are offered in 15-, 19- and 24-degree lofts at $150 each.
More information about the No Bananas lineup is available at the Bob Burns Custom Clubs Web site. Burns custom builds many other clubs, too, including putters and wedges, and even offers several persimmon woods.
