A clubfitting area can look like the starting grid for a Formula 1 race, filled with stacks of technology and a rainbow of colors, stickers and manufacturer’s logos. PGA of America Golf Professional Mark Caldwell takes a different aesthetic approach as the owner of Total Golf Performance at Canyon Springs Golf Club in San Antonio (pictured).
He removes the markings from his set of fitting shafts with paint thinner and uses a system of almost anonymous identifying dots, encouraging his clients to focus on what feels good and performs the best – not the brand or flex label.
“I might change somebody from an R flex to an X, and I want to see what they’re doing without any anticipation or change in what they’re trying to do,” says Caldwell, who was named a Ping Power Fitter in 2025 and 2012. “It’s designed to get people out of their own heads.”
That’s not to say Caldwell doesn’t use visible technology. FlightScope launch monitors and biofeedback stations are running in every bay at Total Golf Performance, but Caldwell merges the tech with an experienced eye, psychology – and even a bit of podiatry.
Podiatry? Yes, podiatry.
“If you’re a high-end fitter and you don’t ask a simple question like ‘How many different kinds of shoes do you play in?’ you’re probably wasting your time,” Caldwell says. “Because each company has a different heel cap, and if that heel cap is more than a half-inch different, your fitting is wasted.”
Caldwell fits his clients precisely with the shoes they’ll play in, and takes it a step further to ask questions that would be familiar in a tailor’s shop – like the one in which Caldwell worked when he was in high school. Details like one arm of a suit coat needing to be taken up an extra inch. That’s just as important to a fitting as it is looking good at the next black tie event.
“I learned early to size people up quickly,” he says. “I can go through a general questionnaire with someone and see a couple of their swings on videos and say, ‘This where we’re going to go and why. And if you don’t get those results, I’ll bring you back in and we’ll rebuild.’ I’ve never had a set come back.”
This mix of art and science comes in part from Caldwell’s diverse background. He spent time playing the mini-tours and worked his way up the private club ranks across Texas. But he also worked for snack giant and Pepsi subsidiary Frito-Lay in its executive training program, where his experience as a college golfer at Centenary College translated into elite client entertainment. It was his business acumen and people skills that jump-started him in the golf business, even if it did mean an early cut in pay.
“I was making $75,000 in 1995 with a 401(k) and PepsiCo benefits, and I took a job as a golf professional for $18,000,” says Caldwell with a laugh. “My dad wanted to kill me.”
By 2004, he made it to Riverhill Country Club in Kerrville, Texas, Byron Nelson’s home base, and the mentorship he received from the legend cemented his friendly, people-first approach.
“I love fitting, I love teaching and I love the business of people,” says Caldwell. “All we’re doing is building a relationship of trust.”
Good benchmarks are a crucial part of that trust, and Caldwell follows two particular practices that would help any fitter.
First, he tries to do as much data collection as he can outside on a full range.
“The numbers can be completely different inside vs. out, and you’re trying to fit in as similar an environment as you play in as possible,” he says.
Second, juniors make up a significant chunk of Caldwell’s fitting and teaching business, and he proactively makes sure they’re on the right track both in fitting and instruction by doing biomechanical measurements monthly.
“They have growth spurts and changes in strength and flexibility and coordination,” Caldwell says. “It pays to be proactive.”
