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The National Links Trust announced late Friday night that the Trump administration was helping keep Washington, DC’s three public golf courses “open, accessible and affordable for the residents and communities who depend on them.”
NLT will have a long-term lease for two courses, while the third, East Potomac Golf Links, will be operated by NLT until it is ready for a “historic restoration” by federal officials.
“We are grateful that our talented and dedicated staff can now look forward with certainty to the future… We thank President Trump for reaching an agreement that will keep 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 the 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 operating and managing these beloved and historic tracks and to making DC proud.”
The Trump administration had initially moved to take control of the courses, saying NLT “failed to provide the National Park Service with reasonable assurances that NLT has the necessary funding, capability or plan to meet its capital investment obligations.”
President Donald Trump reacts as he walks onto the course at the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new 18-hole course at the Trump International Golf Links on July 29, 2025 in Balmedie, near Aberdeen, Scotland. President Trump is visiting Scotland on a part-holiday, part-work trip as he stayed at his Trump Turnberry golf course, followed by the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, between July 25 to 29. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
TRUMP THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER DC
However, NLT continued to run the courses, and it now appears that there has been a solution.
Trump has talked about turning East Potomac Golf Links into a distinguished “US Open-caliber course.” Signs were erected this week warning of a disturbance, and preservationists took the government to court when debris dumped there from the demolition of the White House’s East Wing tested positive for lead.
But the National Park Service said in a statement via The Athletic that the course will become “a top-tier 18-hole championship golf course capable of hosting prominent tournament golf 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 the 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 also partners with NLT at Langston Golf Course, less than a mile away from the Commanders’ future home of RFK Stadium. The new stadium is scheduled to open in 2030.
