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The National Links Trust announced Friday night that the Trump administration helped keep Washington, D.C.’s three public golf courses “open, accessible and affordable to the residents and communities that depend on them.”
The NLT will have a long-term lease for two courses, while the third, East Potomac Golf Links, will be operated by the NLT until it is ready for “historic restoration” by federal officials.
“We are grateful that our talented and dedicated employees can now look forward with certainty about the future… We thank President Trump for reaching an agreement that keeps Washington, DC’s three public golf courses open, welcoming and affordable community gathering places for DC residents and all golfers,” NLT said in a statement.
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Jack Faraone attempts a putt as Cameron Levine reacts while playing golf at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, DC, on January 8, 2026. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)
“We look forward to continuing to provide our expertise in the operation and management of these beloved and historic fields and making DC proud.”
The Trump administration had initially moved to take control of the fields, saying the NLT “failed to provide the National Park Services with reasonable assurance that the NLT has the necessary funding, capacity, or plan to meet its capital investment obligations.”
President Donald Trump reacts as he walks the course at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new 18-hole course at Trump International Golf Links on July 29, 2025 in Balmedie, near Aberdeen, Scotland. President Trump is visiting Scotland on a trip that is part vacation and part work, staying at his Trump Turnberry golf course, followed by Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, between July 25 and 29. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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However, the NLT continued to run the courses and there now appears to have been a resolution.
Trump has talked about transforming East Potomac Golf Links into a swanky “US Open-caliber course.” Signs were posted this week warning of a disruption and preservation advocates took the government to court when debris dumped there from the demolition of the East Wing of the White House tested positive for lead.
But the National Park Service said in a statement, via The Athletic, that the course will become “a premier 18-hole championship golf course capable of hosting preeminent golf tournaments and offering players, of all skill levels, an incredible experience in the heart of the nation’s capital and the National Mall.”
People play golf at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, DC, on May 3, 2026, with the Washington Monument visible in the background. (Pete Kiehart/The Washington Post)
The Washington Commanders Foundation is also partnering with NLT on Langston Golf Course, less than a mile away from the Commanders’ future home, RFK Stadium. The new stadium is scheduled to open in 2030.
