The history of Wolf Laurel can be traced back to the mid 1960’s when 5,500 acres were purchased from the David Buck estate, Raleigh English and H. Lee and David McDaris by the Bald Mountain Development Corporation. A golf course, ski slopes and building sites were in the original plans and exist today.

Bald Mountain, elevation of 5,516 feet, was the catalyst for the beginnings of what is now Wolf Laurel. The Bald Mountain area’s possibilities as a resort were recognized as far back as the Civil War, when Major General J.T. Wilder (Confederacy) had the idea of building a resort hotel and golf course. He was unable to acquire the land, so instead, built a summer resort on Roan Mountain, “Cloudland” and was operational from the 1870’s until 1939. Bald Mountain escaped the glacial encroachments of the Ice Age where vegetation from the Pre-Glacial era can be found. Currently, Big Bald is within the domain of the Appalachian Conservancy.

Wolf Laurel’s name is derived from the abundance of Mountain Laurel that existed on the Watershed and for the large packs of grey wolves that roamed the area. The wolves have been extinct since the 1920’s and 1930’s.

“The single reason that Wolf Laurel does better than other mountain developments, is because you can barely tell it is there.” - Fondren Mitchell.  And how true this remains today! The Wolf Laurel Country Club golf course was designed by W. Bruce Lewis. Mitchell goes on to say, “There is no golf course like this one.” It is one of the highest golf courses east of the Rockies with a back nine elevation average of 3,875 feet and the front nine elevation average of 4,300 feet.  In 1991 the nines were reversed.

Wolf Laurel has been known for decades as the “Great Escape,” and to this day, nature lovers and golfers are Escaping to its Elevation to Enjoy some of the coolest temperatures in the south for enjoyment of golfing, hiking, and much more.