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Now more than five years into its long-term project managing and overhauling three National Parks Service golf courses in and around Washington, D.C., the National Links Trust is under threat of cancellation of its 50-year lease by the Trump administration.
Per a story first reported by the Wall Street Journal, earlier in 2025 the administration "instructed the National Links Trust, the D.C. nonprofit that manages East Potomac and two other historic public courses, to accept the dirt from the East Wing demolition or face a finding of default on its lease with the federal government." The NLT agreed to the terms, accepting the materials to be dumped onsite at East Potomac Park. Nevertheless, it was subsequently issued a lease-default notice by the Department of the Interior, which could lead to the lease's termination.
As of this writing, no formal announcement of a change in oversight of East Potomac, Langston and Rock Creek golf courses has been made, but National Links Trust leadership is bracing for an abrupt end to what they initially believed would be generations of caretaking of three beloved facilities with tremendous potential to serve the people of golf.
"We were honored to be chosen by the first Trump administration to be stewards of these incredible places," said Will Smith, co-founder of the National Links Trust, in a statement to GolfPass. "We have worked tirelessly for the last five years, hand-in-hand with the wonderful civil servants of the National Parks Service, to get shovel-ready and under construction at Rock Creek. We will continue to work hard to be stewards of these places for as long as we have the lease."
The president, who owns, operates and has lent his name to a slew of high-end golf courses in the United States, Scotland and beyond, has reportedly taken an interest in East Potomac as ripe for a complete overhaul into a championship golf complex, capable of hosting professional tournaments and even a future Ryder Cup.
This move by Trump would negate a years-long plan by the National Links Trust to raise the standards of public golf around the nation's capital. That project has entailed considerable fundraising, network-building and working through lengthy permitting and approvals processes in order to stay within procedural guidelines required for making changes on government-owned property. In the meantime, the National Links Trust has raised considerable awareness both in D.C. and beyond for what it considers to be a valuable, affordable public good.
Phase 1 of the current renovation plan is now underway at Rock Creek, and is expected to continue throughout 2026. There, architects Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner have donated time and design services to convert Rock Creek to a 9-hole golf course complemented by a short course, Toptracer driving range and other facilities.
For the planned renovation of Langston Golf Course, one of the most significant places in Black golf history, Tiger Woods has reportedly been linked to the site for design consultation, according to a Front Office Sports newsletter from November. The National Links Trust has long had a connection with architect Beau Welling, who is part of Woods' TGR Design firm, around Langston, as well.
The most important battleground would be East Potomac Park. With its central location on an island in the Potomac River within sight of the Washington Monument and other capital landmarks, East Potomac Park represents the National Links Trust's most ambitious project. From the beginning of the Trust's oversight of golf in D.C., architect Tom Doak has been attached to a planned restoration of Golden Age architect original Walter Travis' reversible 18-hole course, envisioned from the beginning as America's answer to the Old Course at St. Andrews. Fully realized, a restored East Potomac would seek to be an affordable gem for local golfers.
President Trump's own reported ambitions for East Potomac sit in stark contrast. He recently hosted architect Tom Fazio at the White House. Per a story by GOLF Magazine's Michael Bamberger, the National Links Trust's leaders, Will Smith and Mike McCartin, are "gutted" by what they anticipate will be a complete takeover of the project by the administration. Rather than adhere to Travis' unique pre-World War II work, Fazio, who has worked on several Trump properties, is expected to redesign the existing East Potomac layout in order to create a new, 18-hole championship routing with the purpose of hosting large-scale tournaments. In addition to transforming the existing routing of East Potomac's Blue course, it would likely also require demolishing two shorter nine-hole courses on site, the 2,400-yard, par-33 White course and the par-3 Red loop, where golfers of all skill levels have been able to enjoy the game.
More golf course news and notes
NEW BUNKER AT HOYLAKE? - An unexploded artillery shell from World War II, found buried beneath the turf at 13-time Open Championship host Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England on December 12, was detonated in a controlled manner by the Army Bomb Squad. [LINK: Liverpool Echo]
$48 MILLION MUNI PROJECT - Residents of Tacoma, Wash. will see their local Meadow Park Golf Course receive an eight-figure investment that will include a new nine-hole executive loop, a golfertainment-themed practice facility and a new irrigation system for the main 18. [LINK: The News Tribune]
CONTROVERSIAL COURSE SALE - Capital City Country Club, long the golf course of record in Tallahassee, has been sold by the city to the club membership, with opponents of the deal suspicious of how sensitively gravesites of enslaved people within the property will be handled. [LINK: Tallahassee Democrat]
GOLF-ADJACENT - The courses may be closed, but that doesn't mean Destination Kohler goes into hibernation for the winter. [LINK: Travel + Leisure]
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