By Katharine Jackson
WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that work would begin in September to overhaul Washington's East Potomac Golf Links, promising to transform the century-old public golf course into one of the best in the world.
Trump said he decided to start work on the renovation after touring the site with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and golf course architect Tom Fazio earlier in the day.
"It was determined that, on this fantastic site, with water and
unparalleled views of D.C.'s Monuments, we will build one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World... The Course is virtually unplayable! Work on the new Course, which will go quickly, will begin on September 1st," he said in a post on Truth Social.
The renovation comes after a non-profit organization and two residents in Washington sued the Trump administration to try to block the project.
The administration and the non-profit, National Links Trust, reached a deal in May to allow the organization to continue operating East Potomac Golf Links until federal officials overhaul it.
According to a statement on the deal, the non-profit also agreed on a new long-term lease to operate and redevelop Washington's other two public golf courses, Langston Golf Course and Rock Creek Park Golf.
The East Potomac project is part of a broader effort by Trump to reshape U.S. cultural and historical institutions, including museums, monuments, national parks and arts centers.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Mark Porter and Bill Berkrot)
