East Potomac Golf Links is one of the most historically significant public golf facilities in the United States — a 36-hole complex sitting on a narrow peninsula called Hains Point at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers in Washington, D.C. It has been part of the capital’s recreational landscape for over a century.
But in 2026, it has become the center of one of the most politically charged ownership and redevelopment battles in American golf history.
Who Owns East Potomac Golf Course in 2026?
The land on which East Potomac Golf Links sits is owned by the United States federal government — specifically, it falls under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is federal public land. No private individual, company, or municipality owns the property itself.
The course is currently operated on an interim basis by National Links Trust (NLT), a nonprofit organization that first took over management of East Potomac — along with Langston Golf Course and Rock Creek Park Golf — under a 50-year lease signed in 2020.
That lease was terminated by the Department of the Interior in December 2025. Since then, NLT has remained in place solely as a holdover interim operator while the National Park Service carries out the Trump administration’s redevelopment plans.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Party | Role | Status | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Federal Government / National Park Service | Land Owner | Permanent federal ownership | East Potomac sits on federally owned land in East Potomac Park, Washington D.C. |
| National Links Trust (NLT) | Interim Operator | Holdover operator since Dec 2025 | Original 50-year lease signed 2020; terminated Dec 2025 by Interior Dept |
| Department of the Interior | Federal Overseer | Directing redevelopment | Led by Secretary Doug Burgum; driving Trump’s renovation plan |
| President Donald Trump | Driving Force Behind Redesign | No personal ownership | Personally directing the redesign; toured the course with Burgum on June 28, 2026 |
| Tom Fazio | Course Architect | Contracted for redesign | One of America’s most celebrated golf course architects; hired by NPS |
| Troon Golf | Previous Management Partner | Exited | Supported NLT operations during active lease period |
| Williams & Connolly LLP | NLT’s Legal Counsel | Ongoing legal battle | Retained by NLT to challenge Trump takeover; storied D.C. law firm |
The Origin Story: A Century of Public Golf
East Potomac Golf Links has been part of Washington, D.C.’s public recreational landscape since 1920. The course was first proposed in February 1911 and built on land reclaimed from the Potomac River’s tidal flats.
Park commissioners hired celebrated golf architect Walter J. Travis — a former national and British amateur champion — to design a links-style course inspired by traditional Scottish layouts, suited perfectly to the flat, sandy terrain of Hains Point.
The first nine holes opened in July 1920, with an additional nine completing the full 18-hole Blue Course by 1923. The course hosted the 1923 U.S. Public Links Championship — just the second year that prestigious tournament was held.
In 1925, golf architect William Flynn designed a third reversible nine, known today as the White Course, followed by a par-3 Red Course. The complex today totals 36 holes and hosts over 90,000 rounds annually according to the National Park Service.
A Landmark in Civil Rights History
East Potomac Golf Links carries a history that goes far beyond golf. Like virtually every public course in Washington, D.C. between 1900 and 1955, it was racially segregated. In 1941, several Black golfers attempted to play at East Potomac and were attacked by white patrons throwing stones and threatening further violence.
The course later became part of the landmark fight to desegregate Washington’s public golf facilities — a struggle that gave East Potomac historical and civil rights significance extending well beyond its fairways. That history is one reason why the current redevelopment battle has attracted so much attention from historians, local residents, and civil rights advocates alike.
National Links Trust: The 50-Year Lease That Lasted Five Years
In 2020, the National Park Service awarded National Links Trust a 50-year lease to manage East Potomac, Langston, and Rock Creek Park Golf — three of D.C.’s municipal courses on federal land. The deal was celebrated as a model for sustainable public golf.
NLT partnered with Troon Golf for management support and completed several improvements, including a renovation of the historic miniature golf course at East Potomac funded through the Clark Foundation.
However, in December 2025, the Trump administration’s Department of the Interior terminated that 50-year lease — after just five years — citing failure to implement required capital improvements. NLT disputes that characterization entirely, stating it had consistently complied with all lease obligations.
The nonprofit retained prominent D.C. law firm Williams & Connolly LLP — the same firm that stood up to Trump’s campaign against Big Law — to fight the takeover in federal court.
Trump’s Takeover: From Dirt Dumps to Bulldozers
The political story of East Potomac in 2026 is extraordinary. President Trump first revealed his personal interest in the property in August 2025, when the White House needed somewhere to deposit fill dirt generated from the controversial demolition of the East Wing of the White House.
The NLT was threatened with a notice of default if it refused to accept the debris at East Potomac — which it considered a clear act of pressure.
By May 2026, the Trump administration and NLT struck a deal: NLT would remain as interim operator at East Potomac while the National Park Service carried out renovations, and NLT would receive new long-term leases at Langston and Rock Creek Park Golf.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Trump toured East Potomac together on June 28, 2026. In May 2026, Trump proposed expanding the course into an 18-hole professional championship layout capable of hosting the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup.
Then, on October 10, 2026 — just ten days ago — federal workers removed approximately 430 trees at East Potomac in a single operation, without proper federal compliance permits.
The mass tree removal triggered immediate legal action, with a federal judge ordering testimony from Interior Department officials.
Trump confirmed the redevelopment plan in a Truth Social post, publishing a graphic of the new course design by Tom Fazio and describing the current conditions at East Potomac as “overgrown, dysfunctional, and unsafe.” The existing course is expected to close in November 2026, with the redesigned course targeted to open approximately 15 months later.
Tom Fazio — the same architect Trump previously hired to remake his private Turnberry Golf Course in Scotland — is designing the new layout.
What Will the New East Potomac Look Like?
The Trump administration and National Park Service have described a vision for an upgraded East Potomac that is simultaneously a world-class championship venue and an affordable public facility.
The May 2026 announcement said East Potomac would remain accessible and affordable, include a top-tier course capable of hosting major tournament golf, and be supported by private contributions alongside federal investment.
The renovation also involves broader infrastructure work across East Potomac Park, including rebuilding a critical seawall along the Potomac River — a project that could cost upward of $600 million on its own.
The National Park Service says it will follow an established compliance process for large-scale work, including the cultural landscape review process it applied at Rock Creek Park Golf.
Critics argue that a Trump-grade, upscale redesign would fundamentally destroy the character of a course that has served D.C.’s working and middle-class residents for over a century — and that the removal of 500+ trees obliterated irreplaceable historic landscape features that Walter Travis himself had carefully preserved when designing the original course in the 1920s.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns East Potomac Golf Course in 2026?
The land is owned by the U.S. federal government under the National Park Service — it is federal public property and cannot be privately owned.
Q2. Who currently operates East Potomac Golf Links?
National Links Trust (NLT) operates East Potomac in a holdover interim capacity since its 50-year lease was terminated by the Department of the Interior in December 2025.
Q3. Does Trump own East Potomac Golf Course?
No. President Trump has no personal ownership of the course — it is federal land. He is driving its redesign through the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service.
Q4. When did East Potomac Golf Course first open?
The first nine holes at East Potomac opened in July 1920, designed by golf architect Walter J. Travis in a traditional links style inspired by Scottish course design.
Q5. Who is redesigning East Potomac Golf Links?
Tom Fazio, one of America’s most celebrated golf course architects, has been engaged by the National Park Service to redesign East Potomac into a championship-level venue.
Q6. What happened to the trees at East Potomac in October 2026?
On October 10, 2026, federal workers removed approximately 430 trees at East Potomac, triggering a legal challenge and a federal court hearing over whether proper compliance procedures were followed.
Q7. What was the National Links Trust’s original lease?
NLT signed a 50-year lease in 2020 to operate East Potomac, Langston, and Rock Creek Park Golf. The Trump administration terminated it after just five years in December 2025.
Q8. Will East Potomac remain a public golf course after the renovation?
The Trump administration has publicly committed to keeping the course open and affordable, but no binding operating terms have been published confirming future pricing or public access requirements.
East Potomac Golf Links is owned by the United States federal government and managed by the National Park Service, a bureau of the Department of the Interior. No private individual — including President Trump — owns the land or the course. National Links Trust remains the interim operator in a holdover capacity following the termination of its 50-year lease in December 2025.
President Trump is personally driving a complete redesign of the historic public course, with golf architect Tom Fazio — the same designer behind Turnberry’s recent renovations — tasked with creating a championship layout. The course is expected to close in November 2026 and reopen approximately 15 months later.
Whether the redesigned course will truly remain affordable and accessible to ordinary D.C. residents — or become something closer to the kind of upscale venue Trump is known for, like his previous projects at The Plaza Hotel — remains the central unanswered question of one of the most politically charged stories in American golf right now.
