The club fitters at The KingdomThe Kingdom had been waiting more than a month for Reynolds Lake Oconee golfer Jim Erlandson to walk in the door. Well, maybe not specifically Erlandson; rather, they were waiting for whoever happened to schedule what would wind up being the 1,000th fitting of the year, a new milestone for The Kingdom.
Since mid-October, the TaylorMade staff at The Kingdom realized one of them was going to give the 1,000th fitting, so they planned a little celebration to award the lucky golfer a flag from the 2013 U.S. Open Championship at Merion Golf Club, signed by champion Justin Rose, a member of the TaylorMade playing staff.
“We were just looking to have some fun with this,” said Alan Stone, a Master Club Fitter who has been at Reynolds Lake Oconee since the spring of 2013. “The signed flag by one of our tour players seemed like a good idea and since Justin comes here, too, it made a good connection all the way around.”
They just needed to wait until Fitting No. 1,000 was official and also see who would get to handle the landmark session. Would it be Stone, Noel English, Jay Johnson or Cory Johnson? Along with club technician John Habegger, they make up the team of equipment experts at The Kingdom.
On Monday, November 17, Erlandson, a 4.0 index who has lived at Reynolds Lake Oconee since 1996 and is a member at the Creek Club, decided not to play with one of his regular groups. Because his putting had been as cold as the late fall temperatures, Erlandson was heading to The Kingdom. He figured that since previous fittings for his other clubs worked out so well, maybe a 60-minute session in the new Putting Lab would help.
“I had it in my mind for quite a while to go to the Putting Lab,” said Erlandson, a former U.S. Navy pilot who retired after 30 years of flying commercially. “I got fitted at The Kingdom for irons in the spring, and a couple of years ago, when they fitted me for my driver, I did so well with it, four or five of the guys I play with went over to get fitted for drivers.”
When he arrived and signed in for his appointment with Stone, Erlandson was told this appointment was a little more significant than a simple putter analysis: He was their milestone golfer, “Mr. 1,000.” They snapped some photos to commemorate the occasion and presented him with the signed flag.
“It was purely by accident,” Erlandson said.
It was not the first time Erlandson has had good fortune connected with The Kingdom. In 2010, he won the Charlie King Red Zone Challenge for members at Reynolds Lake Oconee; first prize was a one-day Experience at The Kingdom and a set of new TaylorMade clubs. He has been a satisfied customer ever since.
Besides the signed flag, Erlandson also walked out of The Kingdom on November 17 with a new TaylorMade putter (Spider series) built just for him.
“I am putting pretty well again,” Erlandson reported.
Which is just what he was waiting for.
