Cape Town, Wednesday 10 December 2008: The South African Open Championship handed over a mobile toy library, believed to be the first of its kind in the province today to the Pebbles Project, the event’s official charity.
The handover of the toy library marks the start of the South African Open’s support of the Pebbles Project, a charity committed to enriching the lives of children with special educational needs in the Cape Winelands.
Sophia Warner, Director of the Pebbles Project, said that the mobile toy library was a fantastic start to the relationship with the South African Open.
"Our overall objective is to provide specialist educational support for disadvantaged children in the Cape Winelands, and this toy library will give each child at the crèches that we work with a chance to take out a new toy or educational game every two weeks. We work with 500 children on ten wine farms in the area and this branded vehicle, packed with toys and educational games supports our holistic approach to community development", she said.
"The Wines of South Africa (WOSA) UK Importers Committee also contributed to the toy library project and we are extremely grateful for their support."
David Spencer, CEO-Golf for Leisurecorp, the owners of Pearl Valley Golf Estates, said that this was the first time that the national championship had officially partnered with a charitable organisation.
"Our donation of R200 000 is a meaningful contribution to support this worthy cause. I have heard that some of the children do not have a toy of their own, so I’m thrilled that our involvement with the Pebbles Project makes a tangible difference." "Every visitor that attends this event will know that they have made a contribution and affected the lives of a group of Cape Winelands children for the better," he said.
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Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate will host the South African Open Championship in 2011 and 2012. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Serengeti is the first 27-hole golf course in Gauteng and was recently named “Best New Golf Course” by Golf Digest.
The 18-hole course called Masai Mara, which means “wide open plains” in the language of the Masai, has a rugged grassland and dune-scape look. One of the unique features on the course is the par-five eighth hole with its island green. The nine-hole course called Whistling Thorn has a more classic feel.
The courses were constructed in accordance with USGA specifications, with cool season grass that provides green vistas all year round. Designed as a strategic and technical masterpiece that will test today’s best players, the sunken design of the course with its wide corridors is ideal for tournament purposes and provides optimal spectator value on almost every hole.
