Reality Show Showcases Golf Training Aids And More
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If you think you've created the perfect golf training aid and you want to get some exposure for your invention, it may be time to take a swing at reality television. The Golf Channel in the United States is currently seeking applicants for the second season of Fore Inventors Only.
Applicants can register through its website at www.thegolfchannel.com/foreinventors/. Those who apply now will have the opportunity to pitch their golf invention to a series producer during the regional auditions which are scheduled to take place across the U.S. in early 2008.
Fore Inventors Only is a performance-based elimination show that began airing its first season in July. New episodes air Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on the Golf Channel and are rebroadcast the following Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Each week the contestants face new challenges such as field testing their inventions or presenting them to consumers.
A panel of judges, which includes PGA Tour professional Fulton Allem, golf instructor Bill Harmon, and Golf for Women senior editor Stina Sternberg, weigh in each week with their opinions of the inventions, but ultimately it will be viewers who determine the top inventor during the show's season finale on Sept. 4. The inventor that receives the most votes that night will walk away with shelf space for one year at Golfsmith stores in the U.S., a fully-developed infomercial for their product, and commercial and promotional air time on the Golf Channel worth over $50,000.
While a number of the inventions competing in this year's show are golf training aids, the show is open to any invention related to golf. Producers say they take a number of things into consideration when deciding which inventions should compete on the show including the quality and marketability of the invention, the uniqueness of the idea, the overall character of the inventor, and the history of the inventors development process and any obstacles they faced while trying to develop their invention.
The auditions are open to inventors of any age or citizenship, however, any contestants under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the process and the auditions are only being held in the U.S.
While it isn't necessary to have your invention patented before attending the audition, producers of the show strongly encourage applicants to do so. Anyone who is considering applying for the show should at least talk to a patent attorney first so that they know what options are available to them. Those who require more information about how the patent process works can contact the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Last year over 1,100 inventors came out for the Fore Inventors Only auditions which were held in seven major U.S. cities, and from that pool, 103 contestants were chosen to appear on the show. Now that the first season is airing, producers anticipate an even greater turnout for the second season auditions in 2008.