How the Glove Grabber became golfs "Must Have" Item

               This article is from the World Amateur Golf Championships held in Myrtle Beach

Jim Paradise, who is preparing for his sixth World Amateur appearance, is the inventor of the Glove Grabber, one of golf’s hottest new accessories. Paradise and the Glove Grabber will make their national debut on the Golf Channel’s newest reality series, “Fore Golf Inventors,” which begins on July 10.

More than 1,000 people auditioned for the show at eight sites across the country. Paradise emerged as one of 103 finalists and earned a trip to Orlando, where he showcased the Glove Grabber in front of an American Idol-style, three-judge panel.

The group of contenders was cut from 103 to 40 and the field will eventually be narrowed to a single winner. The winning product will receive shelf space in a national golf retail outlet, a Golf Channel infomercial and free airtime for the infomercial.

The Glove Grabber’s origins extend back six years when Paradise grew tired of dealing with gloves that had grown stiff and uncomfortable as a result of dried moisture after being stuffed into a golf bag. To remedy the problem, he attached a piece of Velcro to his bag and stuck his glove to it, allowing it to air out properly and maintain its form, greatly increasing the comfort and life expectancy of the glove.

The Glove Grabber has evolved from the rudimentary piece of Velcro into a polished product that was given to members of last year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team. Paradise holds multiple patents on the product in the U.S., Canada and Europe and has received interest from prominent touring professionals.

While the Glove Grabber’s entry into the market has been gradual, it was the World Amateur that provided Paradise, who works fulltime in the mortgage business, the impetus to pursue it as a business venture.

“Two years ago, I brought probably 50 or 60 very crude Glove Grabbers to the tournament,” Paradise said. “I passed them out to people I knew and guys in my flight to try and get a response. The response was overwhelming. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I had people I had never met coming up to me giving me their address saying they wanted one. It was the launching point for the Glove Grabber and really made me believe I could take it to the next level and make a business out of it.”

Paradise was also introduced to a member of the PGA TOUR Partners Club at the tournament and the Glove Grabber was put through the club’s “Player’s Test,” earning a staggering 90 percent approval rate.

Buoyed by the response at the PGA Tour Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship, Paradise embarked on the path that led him to be a significant part of the Golf Channel’s new show. He auditioned at the Chicago site on Super Bowl Sunday, sacrificing an annual party, and it proved to be a wise investment of his time.

With orders having already come from Sweden, Japan and other countries across the globe, in addition to the impending Golf Channel exposure, the Glove Grabber appears poised to take off.

It’s also growing increasingly popular with baseball and softball players, where it can be used to extend the usability batting gloves. The Glove Grabber will actually be distributed to the participants in this year’s Little League World Series and will be sold in the event’s merchandise tents.

No matter where the Glove Grabber takes Paradise, or how much work it creates, he always looks forward to his annual trip to the World Amateur.

“I was absolutely hooked after the first year,” Paradise said of the tournament. “The people I met and the fun at the convention center [are the highlight]. You hate to say it, but golf almost takes a backseat to everything else going on. You get to see the friends you’ve made from around the country. It’s so much fun.”

When Paradise catches up with his old acquaintances, he will have a lot to fill them in on, including his star turn The Golf Channel.