Iron & Wood—A Way to Keep Your Golf Game Up in The Worst Weather

Originally Published in the Holiday Issue of IVCBA’s Seasonal Magazine LIVE.WORK.PLAY, Written by Kayla Anderson

Incline Village is known for its changing wintry weather, and not everyone is a skier or snowboarder. Fortunately, Tahoe natives Will and Ashley Wolford manage a place behind The Paddle Wheel on 120 Country Club Drive #15 that invites locals and visitors to come in anytime, relax, and play some golf…no matter what Mother Nature orchestrates outside. 

With a single bay facing Trackman iO golf simulator screens, golf aficionados can practice their swing year-round at Iron & Wood while using state-of-the-art technology that provides relatable data, which in turn helps improve their game. 

“The ball flies higher and farther up here, so it’s helpful to come practice before playing a Tahoe course,” Will says. 

Will and Ashley are both from North Lake Tahoe but connected years later after they moved back and met on a blind date at the Tahoe City Golf Course. Ashley is from Incline Village and has been a golf instructor with IVGID for the past few years. After having their first child (now almost 2 years old), the couple wanted to start their own business. 

“We wanted to live in Tahoe and knew golf would somehow be a part of that,” Ashley says about how they came up with the Iron & Wood concept. She explains that Iron & Wood is a multi-use venue that caters to locals, visitors looking for something to do, and those who want to take lessons with Ashley. 

“People saw the benefit in practicing consistently beforehand and faster improvement in their game. And we use real golf balls,” Ashley says. 

Will adds that, along with being in a nice indoor environment, people can actually talk to each other while playing instead of being away from their friends searching for their ball, plus it’s good for beginners because you can move along the course at your own speed instead of having to worry about the pace of play. Iron & Wood gets a mix of non-golfers, golfers, kids, and people who even rent out the space for their weddings, bachelor parties, and birthday parties, although the couple’s ultimate goal is to feed golfers to the course.

“Our goal is to build better golfers,” Will says. 

Iron & Wood is rented by the hour, and there are around 400 courses loaded onto the Trackman golf simulator. 

Incline Village resident Chris Feroli has been a familiar face at Iron & Wood since day one. After moving to Incline five years ago, he started taking lessons with Ashley about three years ago.

“I’ve been coming here since Iron & Wood opened, I think I signed up right when it started,” Chris says with a grin. “In the winter, I’m usually here twice a week.”

He plays once a week at the Championship Golf Course in the summertime and says his game has improved immensely since he started frequenting Iron & Wood. 

“I have way more confidence out on the course. And these two are great; they’re friendly and welcoming. It’s fun to watch their business grow and nice to play year-round,” Feroli adds.For more information about Iron & Wood or to book a reservation, visit https://www.ironandwoodgolf.com/.