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The partnership between De Vere Oulton Hall and Park Lane College (Leeds) has been upgraded to incorporate the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) – Golf.

Oulton Hall, a five star resort, and Park Lane College joined forces in August 2008, when Oulton Hall began offering students the opportunity to specialise in golf while studying at the prestigious Leeds College.

The success of this programme has led to approval by the England Golf Partnership to upgrade the golf programme to AASE status.

The partnership between the College and Oulton Hall is one of only 18 which has generated ‘Golf Academy’ status in England and will be the only regional centre in Yorkshire and one of only three in the North of England.

Taking two years to complete, the AASE framework provides a unique, structured national training and development route across all sports for talented young athletes, and the golf specific qualification will utilise the array of state-of-the-art facilities at Oulton Hall.

At the heart of the programme is Oulton Hall’s staff of PGA Professionals and state-of-the-art golf academy, which features a biomechanics suite and custom fitting centre.

The AASE will utilise these facilities to provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the game, allowing them to gain an NVQ in golf and a BTEC in Sport, which is the equivalent to two ‘A levels’.

Stuart Armstrong, Development Manager for Coaching and Talent Pathways commented: “We were very impressed by the quality of the programme provided by the College and the professional staff at Oulton Hall.

“The England Golf Partnership is delighted to have the College included within the national AASE Academy network, which is a major part of our talent development system and will help to drive our goal of being the leading golfing nation in the world by 2020.”

Keith Pickard, Director of Golf and Leisure at Oulton Hall added: “We are delighted to further our involvement with Park Lane College and to have been awarded the AASE status.

“It is testament not only to our staff of PGA Professionals and the quality of the facilities we have on offer at Oulton Hall, but also to the students and the standard of golf in the North of England, which we are thrilled to be a part of.”

The Golf Academy at Oulton Hall opened in early 2008, and was upgraded to the UK’s first Nike Golf Academy in Autumn 2008.

It boasts a fully floodlit 16 bay driving range containing fully automated power tee systems, short game facilities and two double teaching bays, in addition to state-of-the-art ‘Technology Room’ with pioneering swing analysis software and biomechanics equipment.