Can club fitting change your game? Our test needs you

When Golf Digest Senior Editor Matt Ginella recently tweeted "Can't believe I ever bought clubs without getting fitted. Which sounds like an ad, but it's just the facts," it was the kind of aha moment we've seen over and over again. Anecdotally, there is an endless stream of evidence for the effect of clubfitting.

Now, we're looking to get more clinical evidence of the effect, and we're seeking your help.

Golf Digest, the No. 1 golf publication in the world, and premium clubfitter Club Champion, one of America's 100 Best Clubfitters as rated by Golf Digest, are conducting a clubfitting project this year, and we are searching for avid golfers to participate in this study. Both the participants and the information gathered from the study will be part of a future Golf Digest story.

This season-long research project will include a fitting at Club Champion, which has facilities in the Chicago and Philadelphia areas. Interested participants must never have been custom fit for clubs before and must be interested in purchasing a full set of clubs--all 14 from putter to the driver--after a custom fitting at Club Champion. The cost of a fitting at Participants will be expected to track various statistics from each round they play, both before and after the fitting for several months. In addition, participants must meet the following initial prerequisites:

Handicap: approximately 5-20Age: 30-55Must be planning to play 20 or more rounds in 2012

If you are interested in participating in the study, please send an email to clubchampion@golfdigest.com. In the note, please include your name, age, handicap or index, GHIN number, home club or course where you play most of your golf, typical number of rounds played per month and a brief description of what you know about golf equipment and clubfitting, as well as what you would hope to gain from the experience of this study.

Qualified candidates will be determined by Golf Digest and Club Champion and will be notified directly in the coming weeks. Our search for qualified candidates will end by April 30.

--Mike Stachura**Follow me on Twitter @MikeStachura