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PEARL VALLEY G O L F E S T A T E S

the mon� the mon� AUGUST 2013the mon� THE PEARL VALLEY

WELCOME TO PEARL VALLEY the mon�

AUGUST 2013

WHY ADVERTISE IN ‘THE MONTH’?

Dear Residents and Visitors to Pearl Valley, Welcome to the August edition of The Pearl Valley Month. This month we focus on women as we cel-ebrate Women’s Day.

On 9 August 1956, 20 000 women of all ages and races staged a march to the Union Building in Pretoria to protest against the proposed amendments to the Urban Areas Act of 1950. They left bundles of petitions containing more than 100 000 signatures at Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom’s o� ce. Outside they stood si-lently for 30 minutes. The women then sang a protest song especially written for the occasion. In the last 54 years since the march the phrase, ‘you strike a women, you strike a rock’ has come to represent all women in South Africa.

Although the rise of women and the recognition of their talents in the business world has been slow, I believe that, in South Africa, we are � nally starting to receive the recognition we so deserve. No doubt we still have a long way to go, but the progress made thus far is motivating.

Much to our delight this progress is also being made in the gol� ng world. It’s no secret that golf hasn’t done much for gender equality. In fact many believe that the word golf itself is an acronym for ‘gentlemen only,

ladies forbidden’. Although this isn’t the case, at times, it wasn’t far from the truth. After all, for long parts of its history, golf was a sport dominated by men and rarely played by women, even after women began playing golf in greater numbers, many golf clubs and courses restricted or even banned membership by women golfers.

Organisations like Women’s Golf South Africa (WGSA), and their many partners, have done remark-ably well in changing the face of golf and ensuring that women golfers are given the recognition they so deserve. They are extremely active in promoting jun-ior and senior women’s golf in South Africa and have been doing so since 1914. We still have a way to go, but it’s well worth the e� ort, Lee Ann Pace’s win at the Spanish Open in July is evidence of this!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our female residents and visitors a wonderful August. Let’s honour those 20 000 women who marched to the Un-ion Building by ensuring that we are never afraid to speak our minds or � ght for what we justly deserve.

Happy Women’s Day!

Bianca

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THE MONTH NOW OFFERS BRAND-SPECIFIC ‘WRAPS’The Month o� ers businesses, areas & nodes brand-speci� c ‘wraps’ to house The Month’s

editorial as well as advertising pages. This unique concept o� ers businesses the privilege of taking ‘ownership’ of the publication and the ability to distribute copies directly to

clients or distribution points of choice.

GO TO THEMONTH.CO.ZA AND BOOK YOUR AD NOW!

www.themonth.co.zaAlso join us on Facebook orfollow us on Twitter at The_Month

Editor: Brett Garner083 2600 453brett@themonth.co.za

Publisher: David FosterCapvest Holdings CC084 827 3986david@themonth.co.za

Marketing & Advertising Laurentia Barnard083 306 9929advertising@themonth.co.zalaurentia@themonth.co.za

Design by Tricky Tdesign@trickyt.co.za

CONTRIBUTORS:

Reviews: Jim Waitejim@themonth.co.za

Finance: Feiran Griedefeiran@themonth.co.za

The Team

WHY ADVERTISE IN ‘THE MONTH’?

Pearl Valley Golf Estates is upgrading its driving range, allowing for the largest and most impressive practice facility in the country.

To ensure consistently pristine conditions, and an extended area, the upgrade will not only double the area available to accommodate larger groups but will guarantee an optimal surface for practice throughout the year. Once completed the upgraded range will be approximately 5200m².

The extended range will be seeded with bentgrass, a creeping variety, ensuring a con-sistently outstanding playing surface. The new grass will also signi� cantly minimise recov-ery and maintenance periods.

Currently heralded as one of the best ranges in South Africa, the upgrade stands to improve the already excellent o� ering of the Estate in which players and members enjoy an unsurpassed gol� ng experience.

PEARL VALLEY UPGRADES DRIVING RANGE

THE MONTH

No results for the time spent on the range??

Have you ever wondered why you are a great golfer on the driving range but when you step onto the � rst tee your game falls apart? It’s probably because you’re practicing to be great on the driving range and not preparing for a round of golf. Think about your last round - did you hit two of the exact same shots in a row? Most golfers train with ‘blocked practice’, meaning they perform one skill over and over until they can do it without much thought.

How do you take your game to the course? Change your practice routine!YOUR 45 MINUTE RANGE SESSION Here are some tips to get the most out of your practice sessions. If you’re working on technical aspects of your swing instead of a general practice session, give the skill some time to fade from your memory by tak-ing a 60 second break between shots.

1. FULL SWING 15 MINUTESVary as many things as you can from ball to ball, including club selection, target, shot shape, etc. Even if you don’t execute the shot, move on to another scenario. Just make a note to try it again later.

2. AROUND THE GREEN 15 MINUTESAvoid practicing from ideal conditions, and alternate among chips, pitches and bunker shots. Set up unu-sual lies to keep your brain in problem-solving mode. If you don’t have to think about how to play the shot, change it up. “I don’t practice the same shot more than two or three times in a row” Luke Donald, one of the best short games in golf.

3. PUTTING 15 MINUTESPractice with only one ball, trying to hole it with each successive putt. Once you make it, move to a new spot on the green, and restart the process from a di� erent distance and slope.Remember: Roughly half of your strokes come within 50m of the green. That means you probably should spend more than half of your practice time with your wedges and putter.

By resident PGA Professional WP Botha

the mon�

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PRACTICE SESSIONS

Chase away the winter blues with a fresh and zesty arrangement!

YOU’LL NEED:

• 3 Strelitzia � owers• A few branches Sche� era or any other

� ller leaf• 1 Block oasis soaked in water• 5 -7 oranges• Black sticks• Square vase• Secateurs

1. Place your oasis in the middle of your vase.

2. Cut the oranges in half and arrange around the oasis.

3. Add the three Strelitzias.4. Use the Sche� era leaves in a ring around

the base of the Strelitzias.5. Arrange black sticks in between the � ow-

ers.6. Add water

Voila, warming up a dark corner has never been easier!

By Landscaping Manager Ruan Du Plessis

PEARL VALLEY PROPERTIES

ASKING PRICE: R7.95MBeautiful four bedroom North-facing home with well established garden and glorious mountain views, the perfect family home!

Use the Sche� era leaves in a ring around

Arrange black sticks in between the � ow-

ASKING PRICE: R4.5M Gorgeous 4 bedroom lakeside home with incredible views, a piece of paradise!

BREATHE SPA CELEBRATES WOMEN’S MONTH!

To help you take some time out this Women’s Month and just breathe, Breathe Spa & Hair Salon is treating each reader of The Pearl Valley Month to a 15% dis-

count o� a treatment of their choice. All you need to do is cut out this voucher and bring it with you to your appointment. Please call 021 867 8001 or email

wellness@pearlvalley.co.za for more information or to make an appointment.

Conveniently situated in the Clubhouse, our experienced agents will help you � nd your dream home. For more information please

contact us on 021 867 8000 or at properties@pearlvalley.co.za or visit us at www.pearlvalley.co.za

The Team

SOCIAL

AUGUST 2013

the mon�

Although we do not advertise our equestrian centre as a therapeutic riding facility, we have noticed an increase in children attending the school based on recommendations from occupational therapists. More and more therapists are acknowledging the bene� t of horse riding, as it en-courages vestibular stimulation and combined with spe-ci� c exercises is able to:

• Improve poor muscle tone and strength• Increase joint mobility and range of motion • Increase general balance• Increase attention and concentration spans • Broaden the skills base through increased spatial and

body awareness• Assist with the development of self-con� dence and

motivation• Assist in developing the ability to organize and per-

form tasks in sequence• Improve the stimulation of the tactile system.

Equine assisted therapy is by no means a new concept. In fact it is well known that it assists with the physical, social and psychological development in people, particularly ad-olescents. Physically, horse riding improves muscle tone, balance and co-ordination. The very nature of any eques-trian pursuit encourages children to be active and out-doors in the fresh air, which in itself is hugely bene� cial.

Emotionally, being around horses and having to control such a large animal, requires signi� cant patience, under-standing and con� dence. Unlike interacting with humans, horses simply react to physical and psychological pres-sure. They don’t have ulterior motives and their behavior cannot be controlled by brute strength alone.

At the Pearl Valley Equestrian Centre our candidate teach-ers and students are all trained in the handling and in-structing of children and teenagers on horseback with the primary focus being safety, fun and improved physical and emotional skills. For young children to get the full bene� t of their time, and given that the concentration span of an average 5 year old peaks at 15mins, we limit the rid-ing session to a maximum of 30 minutes. In this way our young riders bene� t not only mentally but their bodies are responsive and strong enough to carry out the exercises given in these sessions.

Riding sessions for those who have not yet developed an independent seat are carried out in an enclosed round are-na with the pony attached to a lunge line. Once or twice a month an out-walk will be included after the lesson, and the rider gets to enjoy the feeling of walking outside the arena, with the instructor walking along side.

On days where the weather isn’t suitable for riding, pupils are encouraged to attend a dismounted lesson. Here they will spend time in a stable with the teacher, a handler and the pony. They will learn how to approach, handle, groom and clean their pony’s feet. As well as learning pony col-ours and markings, and parts of the saddle and bridle. This helps to improve concentration as well as foster better un-derstanding and love for these remarkable creatures.

The therapeutic value of horse riding was described by Hippocrates as “The Riding’s Healing Rhythm”. For more information or to make a booking please contact Rose-mary on 072 247 2929.

RIDING’S HEALING RHYTHM AT PEARL VALLEY EQUESTRIAN CENTRE

FIVE YEARS AT PEARL VALLEY!!Pearl Valley recently celebrated all sta� that

have been with us for � ve years. Here they are receiving their awards from General Manager,

Gawie Marx. Congratulations and thank you for your hard work and dedication.