The Trump administration had planned to close the East Potomac Golf Course as early as Sunday, with construction and tree clearing to begin. A preservation group is now asking a judge to block the closure.
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Future of East Potomac Golf Course in question after lease termination
A federal judge will not order work to be stopped on the East Potomac Golf Course amid concerns over the future of one of D.C.’s most iconic golf courses.
The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes Monday comes after online news outlet NOTUS reported late last week the Trump administration had planned to close the golf course as early as Sunday, with plans to begin construction and tree clearing by Monday.
That news prompted legal advocacy nonprofit Democracy Forward to file an emergency court order requesting a federal judge to halt any maintenance on the course by the Trump administration, claiming it’s “irreparably destroying a priceless piece of American history.”
President Donald Trump said in January he wants to make East Potomac Golf Course, “a beautiful, world-class, U.S. Open-caliber course.” In court Monday, an attorney representing the D.C. Preservation League pointed to fundraising efforts reportedly showing renderings of a lavish golf club.
Reyes said she wants to learn whether the White House or some third party is driving that fundraising.
The National Park Service’s Superintendent of the National Mall Kevin Griess assured the judge the plans are only to remove dead and dangerous trees, as well as to carry out regular maintenance.
Democracy Forward, the group suing the Interior Department, said the Trump administration made similar claims with the White House ballroom project and the Kennedy Center.
Reyes said she takes Griess at his word that no renovation plans have been finalized. She said she wants to be told if more than 10 trees have to be cut down, or if there are plans to bring heavy machinery in.
“I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that we’re not going to have a bulldozer knocking down trees,” Reyes told the attorney representing the Interior Department, Michael Robertson.
Reyes said she doesn’t want a situation where she hears that something major has happened that can’t be undone.
“If anything happens, there are going to be serious consequences. Closing one course isn’t maintenance,” she said. East Potomac has three courses.
The Trump administration has maintained that no formal decisions have been made regarding renovations to the course.
The emergency court order was filed as part of a federal lawsuit brought in February by the D.C. Preservation League and two local golfers.
“It’s a park that people and communities use and it’s heavily utilized. It is available to all people in the community, not just some people or people that you know can sort of afford to be on an exclusive list,” Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman told WTOP before the judge’s ruling.
The case continues through the court system.
Issues over lease
With views of the Washington Monument and the Potomac River, a course where generations have learned the game is now facing an uncertain future.
In December 2025, the Department of the Interior ended the lease of National Links Trust, the nonprofit that has been running East Potomac, as well as the Rock Creek and Langston courses.
While ruling against the emergency request to prevent the closure of East Potomac Park for renovations Monday, Reyes said the plaintiff should be given enough time to challenge any potential plans to close. Griess told the judge any closure would require public notice.
“If there are plans to close, plaintiff should have enough time to challenge the closure,” Reyes said. “I do not want a situation where something happened where it’s too late to do anything about it, given some issues around the District recently.”
Robertson told the judge any closure is under consideration.
“It seems un-imminent to me, but pretending to the follow the rules and then asking for forgiveness isn’t going to work for me,” Reyes said.
The termination of NLT’s lease is a move that has sparked questions about what changes could be ahead.
Mike McCartin, CEO of National Links Trust, said the organization was caught off guard by the lease’s termination.
“So we received a notice of default in November of 2025, the notice was two sentences long,” McCartin said.
He also said the government claims improvements were taking too long, something he disputes.
“Basically, the reason that they’re giving to terminate us is that we’re taking too long, when in fact, the timeline was driven by the Park Service,” he said.
He said the group had already been working to improve conditions at the courses.
“We’ve spent about $11 million on those improvements, and I think people can see a huge difference,” he said.
Other reporting has suggested the default may also involve unpaid rent. McCartin disputes that, saying investments made under the lease were intended to offset those costs.
He added that the group also paid more than $600,000 in rent for what he described as a total of $11.6 million in payments and offsets.
“The $11 million spent on improvements can offset rent per our lease,” he said.
NOTUS reviewed documents that showed a proposal tied to America’s 250th anniversary would turn East Potomac into what would be called Washington National Golf Course, backed by at least $50 million in fundraising.
For now, McCartin said the nonprofit is continuing to operate the course with the hope that the government reconsiders the end of the lease.
“We’re going to do that until we’re told that we can’t do it anymore,” McCartin said.
The Department of the Interior said in a statement to WTOP that affordability will remain a focus as plans move forward.
“President Donald Trump has made affordability a cornerstone of this administration, and this project will be no exception,” it stated.
On the course itself, a large mound of dirt from the White House East Wing excavation now sits in plain view and could factor into future improvements. McCartin said it reflects the broader uncertainty surrounding what the course’s next chapter will look like.
“I think it represents the big question mark that’s hanging over this place about what comes next,” McCartin said.
‘Only place I could golf’
Golfers say they are paying close attention to what happens next.
Justin, who plays regularly at East Potomac, said affordability is what has long made the course stand out.
“If you raise the prices 50%, a whole bunch of people who could afford this won’t be able to afford it,” he said.
He said for many players, it remains one of the few accessible places to golf in the region. He recalls the course being the only option when he moved to D.C.
“This is the only place I could golf,” he said.
Jonathan Davis of Arlington said he has been playing there for decades and wants to see improvements, but not at the cost of access.
“This is where I learned how to play. And I’ve been playing here for 40 years, and I hate to see something happen to it,” said Davis. “If he keeps prices the same and improves the course, I’m all for it. If he improves the course, it makes it so people can’t play it, then that’s totally different story.”
Others like Lincoln Lawrence of Alexandria said they are willing to wait and see what is planned.
“I’m open to it only until I understand what the design is,” Lawrence said.
And some golfers argue a major overhaul may not be necessary at all.
“We don’t need a new golf course. We just need this one,” said Mark Ellmore of Alexandria.
Ellmore said the course should remain what it has always been, which is a public space for all and should not be turned into a high-end course.
“Donald Trump is far too smart to blow up a public park and try and turn it into Bethpage,” Ellmore said.
As plans are discussed and legal challenges move forward, what the future holds for East Potomac and what changes may come remains unclear.
WTOP’s Jessica Kronzer and Grace Newton contributed to this story.
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