Local middle school student takes invention to national level

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG) -

Every great invention starts with an idea or a need.

For Surfside 8th grader Alex Robb, his idea came on the mini-golf course.

“Funny story actually, we went Putt-Putt golfing with my family and he has a hard time bending down. So, he got me to always get the ball for him,” said Robb. “So, I was like, ‘What can I do to make it that he can pick it up himself?’”

So, Alex then came up with the “Goofy Golf Grabber” that attaches to the end of a golf club to help those who may have trouble bending over, get their golf balls back.

Alex designed and presented the grabber last year during Invention Convention and went on to the state and national levels of the competition.

“I’ve always been interested in engineering and I heard about Invention Convention and I tried it out and it’s been one of the best experiences,” said Robb.

But the work never stops as Alex says he’s still working on his patent and trying to make the grabber as accessible as possible.

“Is there a way to make it where it can attach to the end of the golf club without permanently attaching it and still make it very, very affordable,” said Robb.

Marica Brady is Alex’s former teacher and Invention Convention sponsor. She says she’s beyond proud of him and can’t wait to see how far it takes him.

“He is a student that through and through is passionate about whatever he does,” said Brady. “This has been an experience that’s going to open doors for him for a very long time.”

Alex says while he can’t time-travel or predict the future, he’s going to try his best to invent it and make life a little easier along the way.