Game Anthony Kim left in 2012 and then back in 2024 was very different, and perhaps no aspect was more different than the equipment.
In 2012, TaylorMade was still selling a white driver, Callaway just released its first adjustable, Fujikura was still six years away from releasing the Ventus, and Nike was still making golf clubs. Not to mention mounting practice there were advanced jumps and
Needless to say, Kim put in a lot of effort between then and there big win earlier this year in Australia.
With Kim’s return to LIV Golf, much of that re-education fell to Ben Giunta, owner of the Tour Van, LIV Golf Tour’s only truck. On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped, Giunta reflected on what it was like to reintroduce Anthony Kim with modern equipment.
Giunta worked with Kim before when he was working as a Nike Tour representative and Kim was emerging as a young player.
“I remember walking down, we were in Doral, and I was walking down the range and about halfway down the range, he sees me and he threw his arms out,” Giunta said. “The funniest part actually is that I still wear a bunch of Nike gear… He thought I still worked for Nike.”
After the two shared a laugh, they went to work and Giunta pulled out “this orange box” to watch him hit balls on the range.
“And he’s like, what the hell is this? Yeah, like he had no idea. He didn’t know anything about numbers,” Giunta said. Kim had never used a Trackman before.
Kim had always relied on his feel and seeing the flight of the ball to determine if the equipment was working because launch monitors just weren’t as useful as they are now.
But he and Giunta slowly began to work as Kim got back into the swing of playing regular competitive golf. As Kim got more into the groove, his speed returned and even increased, resulting in more changes to his bag.
It finally culminated in his win at LIV Golf Adelaide in February.
For more from Giunta and co-hosts Johnny Wunder and Jake Morrow, listen up Full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped hereor see below.
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