Youngsters wanting to learn golf or refine their game now have an innovative indoor training facility in Poway.

From a putting green to a giant video simulator that monitors every aspect of a golfer’s swing, Scratch provides the same professional training and tools used by Professional Golfers Association champions.

“We’re trying to recreate what kids can be exposed to on the golf course,” said Vikash Sanyal, Scratch’s co-founder and chief executive officer. He is a 13-year veteran of the golf business industry, who was a former executive with Odyssey and Never Compromise, two of golfing’s top putter brands.

The 13,000-square-foot facility (8,500 of which is allocated for training space) opened March 6 and is located at 13000 Danielson Street in Poway. The phone number is 1-877-JRGOLF-0, and the Web site is www.scratchjuniorgolf.com.

Youth ages 8 to 17 can sign up for either once- or twice-a-week, 75-minute lessons at monthly rates starting at $175 and $325, respectively. Instruction is taught by Class “A” PGA professionals around a curriculum built for Scratch by Rick Smith, who has worked with champions like Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh. Tina Mickelson, who has appeared on the Golf Channel and as a CBS Sports commentator, also helped design the program.

Scratch’s training is designed to be fun, but also to yield results — appealing to parents who want to see their children’s skills directly improve.

For instance, a video simulator, the Scratch Skills Handicap System, appeals to children with its video game likeness. As kids swing an actual club before a virtual golf course projected onto a giant screen, they get immediate feedback with statistics listing everything from distance hit, club head speed, launch angle, spin and more.

Scratch has the ability to monitor a kid’s training better than if they are learning outdoors, said Sanyal.

“For parents, it’s all about the results,” Sanyal said. “We can give them very quantitative data about their kids’ improvement.”

The simulator also allows them to compare their statistics to peers and to set goals for those aspiring to reach high school, college or professional levels.

“For kids, the message is go have a blast,” he continued.

Scratch also tests their students, giving them the opportunity to earn a different colored hat — starting at white and reaching black — as is done in martial arts training.

Sanyal said in starting Scratch he felt there was a need for an indoor training facility for junior golfers. Golfers can come at night to practice, and the facility is set up to be non-intimidating, said Sanyal, who brought in Greg Lumsden, previously working in financial services at Countrywide, to co-found the business.

“A driving range or a golf course can be an intimidating place, but here there’s privacy. You don’t feel bad about missing a shot,” he said.

An aim is to build athletic confidence in youth, who might choose to golf as their sport in school.
“Not all youth are built to play football or baseball, but they want to play a sport in high school,” Sanyal said. “The ball doesn’t discriminate based on how tall you are, how big you are.”

Though the facility focuses on youth instruction, adult programs are also available during off-training hours.

Scratch has the capacity for 320 students, and the business hopes to reach that within three months of opening. Already in the week before opening there were 600 requests for information or lessons, Sanyal said.

Those who sign up for classes also get special rates at facilities Scratch has partnered with, such as local golf courses like Maderas and Rancho Bernardo Inn.

The business’ goal is to become the pre-eminent junior golf training center with an eventual goal to expand nationwide, Sanyal said. A second Scratch facility is planned for Los Angeles this summer, with a third Southern California location by year-end.