When Anthony Kim walked away from professional golf in 2012, the equipment landscape looked vastly different than the one he returned to in 2024. White drivers from TaylorMade were still the rage, Callaway had just introduced its first adjustable driver, Fujikura's Ventus shafts were still six years away, and Nike was very much still in the golf club business. Fast forward to today, and the game—especially the gear—has undergone a revolution.

Kim's reintroduction to modern equipment wasn't just a casual adjustment; it was a full-blown re-education. That task fell largely to Ben Giunta, owner of the Tour Van and LIV Golf's lone Tour Truck operator. On a recent episode of GOLF's Fully Equipped, Giunta shared the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of helping Kim bridge a 12-year equipment gap.

The two actually had history—Giunta had worked as a Nike Tour rep when Kim was a rising young star. Their reunion at Doral was memorable. "I was walking across the range and about halfway down, he sees me and throws his arms out," Giunta recalled. "The funniest part is I still wear a bunch of Nike gear… He thought I still worked for Nike." After a good laugh, they got down to business.

Giunta brought out what he called an "orange box"—a Trackman launch monitor—and set it up to watch Kim hit balls. Kim's reaction? "What the hell is this?" He had never used a launch monitor before. In his prime, Kim relied purely on feel and ball flight to dial in his equipment, a method that worked well in an era before data-driven fitting became the norm.

Slowly but surely, Giunta and Kim began the process of bringing his game—and his bag—up to speed. As Kim regained his competitive rhythm, his swing speed returned and even increased, prompting further adjustments to his clubs. The hard work paid off in spectacular fashion when Kim captured the win at LIV Golf Adelaide in February, proving that even after a long layoff, the right equipment and a willingness to adapt can make all the difference.