Necessity has always been credited as the mother of invention. Just ask John Yakopcic of Peters Township. Yakopcic has been playing golf for over 30 years and just knew there had to be a better way to clean irons and hybrid clubs.

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"If you've ever been on a golf course, you've seen guys cleaning the grooves on their irons with tees," said Yakopcic. "They dip the clubs in any water they find - a stream or pond - to clean them off. I've even seen guys using beer to clean off their clubs.

"I knew there had to be a better way."

Apparently, there is.

The Aqua Caddy makes it Web site debut this weekend at www.theaquacaddy.com.

"I started with a Jif peanut butter jar, some stuff from my wife's craft box, and some other things and created it," said Yakopcic. "It's a soft-sided bladder bag and it took about three and a half years to get the patent.

"I've been incorporated, trademarked, the brochures are done, and the manufacturing process will be firmed up in the next two weeks. I'm researching retail chains now and there has been a lot of interest so far. They can be imprinted, too, so we're exploring that, too."

That interest could easily escalate in the coming weeks as it will be one of the new inventions featured on the Golf Channel original series "Fore Inventors Only." The show premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m.

The series will conclude with a finale on September 4. "I really can't talk about the show as part of the rules," Yakopcic said. "But it wasn't as easy as just having an invention, there were auditions just to get on the show. But it was a lot of fun."

"Fore Inventors Only" auditioned over 1,000 inventions to get to the initial field of 103 entrants. A panel of three judges (PGA Tour professional Fulton Allem, golf instructor Bill Harmon, and Golf for Women Senior Editor Stina Steinberg) will pare the field to five for the finale and then viewers will make the final decision.

The winner will receive a great package of support from the Golf Channel, but Yakopcic is proceeding regardless.

"Before this started, I had a chance to get out two or three times a week," Yakopcic said. "And I know there's a need, especially with the hybrid clubs.

"Golfers want to keep those clubs clean. If they're willing to spend a couple of thousand for clubs, I think they'd spend about $20 to keep them clean."