The Trump administration struck a deal with a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., on Friday to keep the district’s three public golf courses open to the public.
The sites were previously in imminent danger of shutting down after the Interior Department terminated a 50-year lease held by National Links Trust in December. The two ended up coming to an agreement on the future of East Potomac Golf Links, Langston Golf Course, and Rock Creek Park Golf.
The deal allows the National Park Service and NLT, along with other partners, to begin renovations on the three golf courses. The groups involved promised to transform the parks “into the country’s premier public golf courses, while keeping them affordable and accessible for all.”
East Potomac and the two other sites are all public courses, located on federal land managed by NLT since 2020.
“We are pleased that Washington, D.C.’s municipal golf courses … will now remain open, accessible, and affordable for the residents and communities that depend on them,” NLT co-founders Mike McCartin and Will Smith said in a statement. “National Links Trust will continue operating all three courses, and we are committed to building on the progress we have made over the past five years.”
The announcement arrived a few days after a federal judge halted the Trump administration from imminently closing the golf courses for construction because the court hadn’t been notified of any major changes in advance. Preservationists suing the federal government over the renovations since February were concerned that a necessary environmental review had been skipped.
Dirt sampled from East Potomac tested positive for lead, mercury, chloroform, and other toxins, NPS concluded in a recent report. The dirt was contaminated by debris dumped from the White House’s now-demolished East Wing to the nearby golf course. The judge is demanding more transparency from the administration regarding its golf course plans.
The new and improved East Potomac location will feature a “top-tier 18-hole championship golf course capable of hosting pre-eminent tournament golf” and catering to players “of all abilities.”
With an emphasis on preserving the property’s history, plans at Langston include a state-of-the-art learning facility in which young people can learn how to golf. Additionally, the Washington Commanders are discussing a potential partnership with Langston.
Meanwhile, the restoration project planned for Rock Creek is quite ambitious. NLT wants to build a new clubhouse, driving range, practice facilities, and maintenance facility. Officials would also update the existing nine-hole golf course, construct a new nine-hole course, and develop a restaurant and an ecological trail, according to the local nonprofit.
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Advisory boards appointed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will oversee their redevelopment.
The news came as President Donald Trump attended a LIV Golf dinner at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia. Trump is heading back to the area Saturday afternoon to watch the LIV Golf Virginia tournament, scheduled to end Sunday.
