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“Inside the Huddle” – Standing the test of time
November 10, 2025
WAUPACA – Though maybe best known across Central Wisconsin for its custom luxury homes and commercial buildings, Sales Manager Nick Horn said Strongwood is also “acing it” in a different arena – selling high-end, custom indoor golf simulators and manufacturing simulator enclosures.
Though Strongwood Construction has had an established presence in Waupaca and surrounding areas for more than 25 years, Horn said Strongwood Sports is newer to the Strongwood operation.
Like many of the company’s ventures into new specialties, Horn said this project started with a client request.
In 2020, a customer asked for a replica green of Augusta National Golf Club – the famed home of The Masters – to complement a private resort the firm was already constructing for him that included a sports club and basketball court.
“We said, ‘No problem,’” he said.
In the middle of the project, Horn said the client also expressed interest in adding a golf simulator and looked to the Strongwood team to figure out the best solution for his high-end project.
That, he said, led him and other team members on a whirlwind tour of five simulator brands at locations across the state, followed by a trip to Minnesota to evaluate Golfzon.
Once they tried Golfzon’s simulator, Horn said they knew they had found the perfect fit.
“When we played it, it was a night and day difference compared to the others we played,” he said. “It was an ‘a-ha’ moment that this was ‘the’ simulator, as it follows our brand ideals of quality and craftsmanship, and it [offered] the best experience we had.”
A golf journey
Horn said Strongwood’s due diligence led not only to delivering on the client’s request but also opened a door to a new division for the company as it became a Golfzon dealer and added a golf simulator to its showroom.
From there, he said the trajectory grew, tapping into Strongwood’s existing strengths in construction.
“We were doing well with our mother company being a high-end, custom construction company, so we had the ability to make the booth that goes with the simulator because it’s very involved,” he said.
Among other things, Horn said the “shell,” or booth, for the simulator requires a 15-foot-by-20-foot-by-11-foot room.
This, he said, allows room for impact panels, a ramp system and a platform system that houses the plate the user stands on, an autotee mechanism to bring balls to the tee and other aspects.
Horn said the Strongwood team figured out how to manufacture and assemble something that fit the bill.
He said they also figured out how to address situations in which a customer doesn’t have a room for the booth – such a big, open space.
For those instances, Horn said Strongwood developed and prefabricates an aluminum metal frame for the walls, ceiling and sensor housing that can be placed in a big, open space.
Horn said Golfzon was so impressed with Strongwood’s craftsmanship that they brought Horn on as a project manager for installations across the country.
And even after Golfzon hired its own team, Horn said Strongwood remained a trusted partner, handling both booth manufacturing and installations.
Once Golfzon secured several project managers, Horn said he transitioned to a training role, mentoring the new team.
Strongwood, he said, continued its close partnership with Golfzon, selling golf simulators and booths to clients, while also performing both booth and golf simulator installations for the company.
“We got in really tight with Golfzon, where we got involved in all their major shows at the PGA and Augusta for the Masters, and did a lot of work for them,” he said. “To this day, any booth they sell [with their golf simulators] is our booth.”
Horn said Strongwood is the only Golfzon dealer in Wisconsin, working with clients throughout the Badger State, the Midwest and elsewhere in the United States.
By producing, shipping and installing booths – and actively promoting their services locally – Horn said the company has grown into Golfzon’s top dealer in the U.S.
“We understand the system better than most people at Golfzon, and we have a great relationship with them and the dealers in the network they have built,” he said. “In the process, we grew this whole other branch of [Strongwood] in a way [that] we never knew was possible. It’s been amazing to have so many aspects of our company – construction, this new sports division and our tech automation combined in what we do for Golfzon.”
Through their partnership with Golfzon, Horn said Strongwood often takes on clients across the United States, managing the fabrication – and in some cases, installation – of booths for Golfzon simulators.
The relationship, he said, also brings Strongwood to the annual January PGA Show in Orlando, where the team handles booth buildouts to help Golfzon showcase its simulators to a wide audience.
“We work hand in hand with them constantly as we’re basically the manufacturer of a proprietary booth for them,” he said.
Even for clients who don’t require a booth, Horn said Strongwood serves as the installer of Golfzon simulators throughout the United States.
“They have increased their sales dramatically this year and have a limited team themselves, so they commission us to travel across the United States [to perform installations for them], both residential and commercial,” he said. “We were in Alaska [recently] for an install.”
Both Strongwood’s growth as a distributor and manufacturer for Golfzon and the company’s overarching growth, Horn said, have prompted the Strongwood team to grow.
He said he estimates he has tripled the team working on Golfzon work in the past few years, including adding four to five team members this year alone.
Horn said most team members begin by working in the dedicated shop – making impact panels for the first few months and getting ingrained in the product, before being considered for rotation on the install team.
The newest simulator game in town
In that same vein, Horn said Golfzon recently introduced – and Strongwood is offering – the latest iteration in its golf simulators, the NX Golfzon Simulator, which is positioned as the best in technology, performance and playability.
Positioned as the next-generation indoor golf platform, Horn said the NX features advanced technology, upgraded visuals and improved mechanics that collectively create a more authentic, responsive and immersive golf experience than ever before.
That’s something Horn said he can vouch for.
“It’s the closest thing to real golf that you’ll play,” he said.
Horn said its elevated visuals were created to make the user feel like they’re right there on the course, or the next-best-thing to it – complete with rolling greens and wind effects to create lifelike realism.
Built on Unreal Engine technology, Horn said the NX simulator delivers lifelike ball physics and ultra-realistic visuals, replicating iconic courses such as Pebble Beach in stunning 4K.
“The software was built from the ground up, and the physics of the ball flight is much clearer and more realistic,” he said. “If you’re playing Pebble Beach hole seven, when you look at the entirety of the screen with the updated 4K projector, it is as close to Pebble Beach as possible without paying the money to go to Pebble Beach.”
Horn said part of that experience is that the NX’s faster, smarter performance reduces lag and delivers instant feedback after every shot.
In addition, he said the enhanced swing plate replicates uphill, downhill and sidehill lies better than ever, and the auto tee system provides effortless ball placement.
“There is an increase in senior living communities seeking simulators, and with this, they don’t have to lean over and pick up the ball,” he said. “It makes for a great round of golf for someone who isn’t as mobile [as they used to be] but loves the sport.”
Horn said the NX also features new modes and upgraded multiplayer capabilities, so it suits both serious golfers and social players and puts high-end courses within reach.
“The pricing for a round of 18 holes is typically around $70-80, whereas an hour on the golf simulator is $50 for the entire booth, regardless if it’s one person or six,” he said.
Collectively, Horn said all the enhancements featured in the NX make for a more realistic and premium experience, providing an “honest, decent round of golf that puts you right in the action, right on the course.”
“It’s 100 times better in playability,” he said.
Horn said that’s good news for the commercial and residential clientele interested in adding a golf simulator to their restaurant/bar or home, with sales roughly evenly divided between homeowners installing simulators in their homes and businesses using them to enhance customer experiences.
“It’s particularly appealing to people who live where the golf season is limited, like the Midwest, as well as in the south where there are really, really hot areas,” he said. “It’s much nicer to go into the A/C and get a round in with some beverages.”
Horn said the popularity of the simulators has been a boost for Strongwood’s bottom line – with 2021 being a strong year, sales doubling in 2022 and growth continuing into 2023.
Though 2024 slowed due to the presidential election, which prompted some customers to hold off on purchases like golf simulators, Horn said 2025 has already proven to be a fruitful year.
“We have seen the wait pay off greatly, and we’re back to beating our numbers from the past couple of years,” he said. “With the sim side and getting more involved in the manufacturing of booths and impact panels, we have gotten bigger and bigger each year.”
Though GolfZon’s offerings are an investment – among the most expensive on the market – Horn said it attracts customers who want a turnkey solution and white-glove installation experience.
“It’s the most expensive simulator on the market for good reason – people don’t want to have to think about it all,” he said. “That’s why they come to us, with our background in construction and custom high-end homebuilding and finishes, as we can make anything a reality and do it in a timely manner and with quality.”
Horn said the work on simulators has dovetailed into other sports, with Strongwood creating a sports division as a result – to include chipping and putting greens, basketball and pickleball courts and golf simulator set-ups.
Seeing the evolution of the golf simulator market has been interesting, Horn said, with demand growing among senior living complexes as well as luxury apartments, condos and other multifamily residences.
He said he also credits golf simulator sales to a growing interest in the game of golf.
“YouTube has gotten the game to a broader audience, and it’s not as ‘hoity toity’ as it once was, with viewership including the younger generation playing at a higher level than ever before,” he said. “Simulator golf makes the game more accessible to everyone. The more people who want to play, and the ability for them to play anywhere, has appeal, especially for newcomers. On a golf simulator, you can adjust each person’s difficulty level and make it a whole different ball game.”
The company’s overall upswing
In addition to the trajectory for Strongwood Sports, Beth Nash – director of business development – said the company’s many divisions are growing as well.
Nash said Strongwood’s technology arm has spun off the tech team as its own group, now referred to as Link Integrations.
“Tech is a passion of our owner’s,” she said. “It’s such an integral part of homes for automation and security, and that includes the power of lighting.”
Nash said the Strongwood team recognizes that some clients want technology without building a new home, while others building a home may not seek tech features.
“This new brand shows more definitively what we can do,” she said.
Nash said Strongwood Construction has also broadened its in-house capabilities to encompass plumbing and concrete work.
She said Aaron Green – who became president after joining more than two years ago – leveraged his concrete expertise to generate more than $1 million in concrete revenue during the first year of offering the service.
Finally, Nash said Strongwood’s design division oversees interior and architectural work, with a three-person team serving both private homes and commercial properties.
“From cabinetry, to flooring, to wall finishes, to exterior finishes – having a design team has been so valuable to the organization as a whole,” she said. “We don’t have to go outside to bring that service to our clients.”
In addition, Nash said it has allowed the design team to illustrate the custom approach that Strongwood takes to all its work, most recently in commercial construction projects.
“More and more commercial builds want more from design – they don’t want it to look like a commercial building,” she said.
As Strongwood continues to grow from a log home builder to a diversified construction firm with many services and divisions, Nash said the company has maintained the small-town, family-run approach to business that distinguishes it from the competition.
“We are still run that way,” she said. “However, we can offer the services that a larger company can as well. Our commitment to expert craftsmanship and the customer service we provide to our customers really sets us apart.”
