Spanning more than a hundred years and four courses the recreational sport of golf in Cramerton, North Carolina has one of the richest golfing traditions in the The United States.  We hope you enjoy reading about the rich history of Cramerton and how golf became such an important part of the community. 

Mr. Stuart Warren Cramer was a high profile figure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He designed 150 mills and owned 11 under the business name Mays Mills Inc. in 1915. Two necessities for mills of the era were water and transportation. The South Fork River provided water, and the Southern Railroad ran directly through the Cramer property. Mill villages, built in close proximity to the mills provided housing for its workers. At the turn of the century, Cramer was responsible for creating a ‘model village’ which today is known as the Town of Cramerton.

The village, originally named Mayesworth after its founder J.H. Mayes, originated in the spring of 1906, was built around the Mays Plant that operated as a spinning mill. Cramer purchased the mill in 1915. He built a modern dairy and chicken farm on Cramer Mountain as well as numerous orchards to provide pure milk, fresh eggs, and fresh fruits for the health and happiness of his millworkers. Captain John Landrom Boyter was the long time was overseer of the farm. The pastures where the cattle roamed, known years ago as the hidden pastures, was isolated by thriving orchards. Flatrock was another pasture and was entered through a secret entrance known only to the people familiar with the mountain. 

One of the most historical and impressive homes on the mountain, Maymont Manor, was built by Cramer after one of his European trips. He saw a classic English Manor house and decided he wanted one just like it for his summer home. In 1917, the summer mansion home was built atop Cramer Mountain using the mountain's native materials. Perched 1,400 feet above sea level, one could look out over the expanse of the village.

Presidents Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower, as well as General George Patton, Jr., where known to have attended parties at the Manor and enjoyed games of golf with Mr. Stuart Warren Cramer. 

In 1922, having purchased the entire town and, at the persuasion of friends, the town's name was changed to Cramerton. The Mayflower Plant began weaving operations in 1923. A new patented invention which is the “Cramerton Army Cloth”, Mr. Cramer’s famous 8.2-ounce fabric, was first manufactured in 1929. An improved fabric designed later became the staple of the U.S. military during World War II. Cramerton Mills won the coveted “Army Navy E Award for Service” for its part in the development and production of this and other military material. This 8.2-ounce fabric blend is still manufactured today.

Golf played a very important role in Stuart W. Cramer’s life.  He loved the game and believe in it's recreational advantages as well as life lessons that the game teaches.  He was a member of Charlotte Country Club and a founding member of Linville Country Club.  It is only natural that Mr. Cramer would want golf to be a part of the Model Mill Village he was creating in Cramerton.

Cramer built two golf courses in the town. The first one, built in 1922, was a nine-hole course that ran along the banks of the South Fork River from near where Cramerton Drug Store is today beyond 10th Street to the Cramerton athletic fields behind old Maymont & Cramerton School.  It featured sand greens modeled after those designed by Donald Ross at Pinehurst #2. 

In 1927 a second course was built at the foot of Cramer and Berry Mountains. With several scenic holes hugging the shoreline of newly formed Cramer Lake, newspaper accounts described it as “a marvel of natural beauty with excellent engineering” and “as fine a links as any country club”. 

In 1946, all of Cramerton Mills assets in the town were sold to Burlington Industries, Inc. To ensure their father’s love of golf lived on in the town that bore his name the family added a stipulation to the sale mandating Burlington would maintain a golf course in the town as long as it owned the property. 

In 1952 the “Old Course” was closed. Lakewood Golf Course, opened in the same year, was designed and operated by local golf pro G.M. “Mike” Michael. The course opened with only 14 holes as it took several years before enough land could be acquired across Lakewood Road to complete the remaining four holes. Lakewood was located on the property where Stuart W. Cramer High sits today. The course was closed in 2004. Pine trees which lined the first fairway still stand between Old Lakewood and Lakewood Road.

In 1984 visionary couple Graham and Gayle Bell purchased all property in Cramerton owned by Burlington Industries Inc.  They  began developing plans to construct a championship golf course and country club surrounded by mountainside homes.  Graham selected Dan Maples and presented him with 184 acres of raw land located between the peaks of Cramer and Berry Mountains tasking him with creating a course unlike anything in the region. 

Bell and Maples walked the rough terrain laying out holes and created a hidden gem with multiple signature holes.  The unique topography and large expanse of land features flowing fairways with Duhart's creek dissecting many holes.  The Cramer Mountain Country Club, the fourth golf course in the Town of Cramerton, opened September 10, 1986.  A true link to the past, hole #5 is located on part of the 1927 course and runs through a portion of the property affectionately called The Old Course.

No two holes parallel each other.  The course was and is designed strictly for shot-makers and purists.  The signature hole number 15 was originally designed as a par 4 dog leg left. The hole was supposed to follow the curvature of the stream, but when the construction began on the hole, hundreds of thousands of dollars was spent on dynamite to blow up the rock. The rock happened to be far denser than anticipated, and the decision was made to change the hole to a par three. The holes used to put the dynamite in are still visible today. The change in design resulted in a unique set up with the course having five par 3s and five par 5s.  The 15th hole at one time was the most expensive single hole ever built, until the completion of island hole 17 at TPC Sawgrass.  The Bell family invested over $30 million dollars in building a course unlike anything in the nation.

The Cramer Mountain Country Club experienced high levels of success in the early years of operation, hosting multiple events such as John Boy and Billy's annual outing amongst many other famous tournaments.  Due to its tranquility, Michael Jordan frequented Cramer Mountain on a regular basis in the 1990's, while in town when the Chicago Bulls visited Charlotte to play the Charlotte Hornets.

Unfortunately, Cramer Mountain Country Club eventually closed its doors in 2010 during the Great Recession.  Many stories and memories from the original Cramer Mountain Country Club are still reminisced about today. 

After Cramer Mountain Country Club closed its doors in 2010 the property sat dormant. Eight foot high trees and weeds had covered the course, turning it back into a forest once again.

In 2014, Cramer Mountain Club was formed by a partnership between over 200 residents and DMD (Don and Mary Doctor) investments, creating a nonprofit, member-owned club. A significant amount of work, coordination and technical abilities were required in order to bring the amazing course back to life.  The huge undertaking was led by leading agronomy and golf landscape professional experts, using experience from courses like Augusta National and Quail Hollow Club, for the massive ground up renovations to Cramer Mountain Club.  The results were outstanding bringing Cramer Mountain back to life as the original championship golf course.

Dan Maple's original layout of the course is still present today.  New championship Bermuda greens, irrigation systems, tees, and fairways have brought new life back to the historical Cramer Mountain. The results were outstanding bringing the course back to life as the original championship course was intended.  Playing 6,486 yards from the back tees, the length of the course is not daunting; however, its topography and challenging shot-making will humble players of all levels.  A round of golf at Cramer Mountain is challenging, exciting, and truly memorable.

Cramer Mountain's design lineage can be traced back to Old Tom Morris and St Andrews.  Donald Ross, who honed his skills as a course designer as an apprentice to Old Tom Morris, came to America eventually becoming the head golf pro at Pinehurst in 1900.  He also launched is and began his course design career.  Frank Maples became Ross' right hand man learning design and construction from the old master and started the Maples Family Design Firm.  His son Ellis joined the family business eventually designing over 70 courses throughout the region.  Grandson Dan, the mastermind architect of the Cramer Mountain, was a golf course designing prodigy who designed his first golf course at the age of six and was moving earth for golf courses before he could drive

Rebirth of the golf course brought new residential and commercial development back to the historical Cramer Mountain and the Town of Cramerton, continuing to build upon the rich the Legacy of Golf in Cramerton in 2022 and into the future.

The legacy of golf Mr. Cramer started in 1922 continues today as a world class golf course which winds through the woods, vineyards and pastures surrounding his beloved home Maymont. We believe he would be very pleased.

You are invited and welcomed to experience golf on Cramer Mountain and our rich Legacy of the Greatest Game right here in Cramerton, North Carolina.

Bring a lot of balls!