Trump sets Sept. 1 start for D.C. golf course overhaul

President Donald Trump said the federal government would begin renovating East Potomac Golf Links on Sept. 1, turning a century-old public course at Hains Point into the latest highly visible federal project in Washington. He made the announcement after touring the site on June 28 with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, golf course architect Tom Fazio and White House aides.

The course sits on reclaimed land in East Potomac Park and is one of three District golf courses overseen by the National Park Service, alongside Rock Creek Park Golf Course and Langston Golf Course. The courses were built between 1918 and 1939 and were created to give people an affordable place to play golf outside private clubs. East Potomac was originally whites-only, and it was desegregated in 1941 after three Black men insisted on playing under police guard.

The Park Service signed a 50-year lease with National Links Trust in 2020 to operate the three courses. On May 8, 2026, East Potomac would remain open until the Park Service was ready to begin a historic restoration there, and it would stay open, accessible and affordable. Trump's push to remake the property into a showcase course could host the U.S. Open, Ryder Cup and PGA Championship.

The D.C. Preservation League and two Washington-area golfers sued in February, arguing the administration skipped required environmental and historic-preservation reviews. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes warned of “serious consequences” if major work begins without court approval and advance notice, saying she did not want to learn after the fact that bulldozing or other major changes had already started.

In June, lawmakers from Maryland, Virginia and D.C. urged Burgum to remove more than 35,000 cubic yards of demolition debris from the course. The mound, tied to material from the demolished White House East Wing, has sat near golfers, cyclists, runners and fishermen for months and may contain arsenic, lead, mercury and possibly asbestos. The administration does not consider the debris pile a public health risk.