Lee-Anne Pace, South Africa and Europe’s top female golfer, and First Car Rental are collaborating with some big names and brands in golf to bring to Franschhoek the inaugural First-Pace Golf Day for Girls, which will happen on 14 May 2014, at the award-winning Pearl Valley Golf & Country Estate, Franschhoek.

The First-Pace Golf Day for Girls is a fully-sponsored event for girls who attend schools near the Pearl Valley Golf & Country Estate. The aim of the golf day is to spot natural talent and attitude, and finally, to award two of the participating girls  a large sponsored prize package valued at R500 000 per winner, which will see them  being coached and mentored by the best in the golfing industry for 12 months to develop their skills.

Eleven schools (including government and private) from the surrounding Franschhoek area have been identified from which 40 young girls from the ages of 9 to 18 years old will be nominated by their school heads, coaches and teachers to take part in the fun but testing afternoon playing different golf shots.

There will be tutoring on the day by well-known names such as:  

• Lee-Anne Pace, South Africa and Europe’s No. 1 female golfer, and also winner of the recent Investec Cup, the Compleat Golfer’s Golfer of the Year Award, and of the Women’s Professional Golfers Association (WPGA) Player of the Year Award;• Lol Jones, the President of Boland Ladies Golf, which is very influential in women’s golf development and have created many a champion;• Pro golfer and Stellenbosch coach, Anna Becker-Frankel, who also runs the Girls Love Golf programme;• Rae Hast, current WPGA President, pro golfer, author, and full-time Teaching Pro at Erinvale Golf Estate; and• Cherry Moulder-Williams, former Springbok golfer and winner of the 2002 Telkom Classic on the Nedbank Ladies Tour.

Says Melissa Storey, Executive Head: Strategy, Development & Marketing, at First Car Rental, “We are very excited to be collaborating with such fantastic brands and committed champions in golf, all of whom have the same vision, and that is to help further identify and develop women golfers in this country. Nurturing young students is the best way to spot natural talent but more than this, the proper attitude, character and personality upfront so that they may continue to become our country’s superstars tutored by the best there is.”

The fully-sponsored prize package for the two winners includes playing rights and full use of facilities at Pearl Valley Golf & Country Estate; coaching and mentoring by professionals such as SwingFit in association with Boland Ladies Golf; a set of golf clubs and bag, plus applicable golf clothing and shoes (kindly sponsored by Puma and Cobra).