Donald Trump has announced on social media that his takeover of the East Potomac Golf Course will continue in a month.
On Nov. 15 the public golf course will be closed and Tom Fazio's redesign will commence. The course is expected to be closed for 15 months. The plan calls for repairs to the course's seawall but the redesign is also expected to eliminate picnic areas, bike lanes, playgrounds and other recreation areas.
New: Trump says that East Potomac Golf Course will close on Nov 15 for the redesign by Tom Fazio.
— Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) October 18, 2026
“Restoration work will begin on the Fazio Design on November 15th, when the old Course will be closed to play. The new Course will be opened in approximately 15 months.”
This… pic.twitter.com/B3pCNu9qrv
It was four days ago that a federal
judge said she was “furious” that the Trump administration cut down hundreds of trees at a public golf course in Washington, DC, despite ongoing litigation aimed at preventing the destruction.
Dozens of National Park Service workers cut down 430 trees at East Potomac Golf Links on Oct. 10. The government plans to cut down about 300 more trees. The government alerted litigants, who were trying to prevent the tree removal, about the plans on Oct. 9 at 4:55 p.m. before the heavy equipment began operating the next morning.
"More than being upset and furious right now, I am just deeply disappointed in the government," U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes told government lawyers during an emergency hearing Oct. 12. "On what universe did anyone in your office think this was acceptable?"
This design appears to completely eliminate the much-beloved loop road and public park at Hains Point, and cut down the cherry trees which line the road. The park is a public space used by tens of thousands of Washingtonians and heavily visited by tourists.
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) October 18, 2026
/photos not my own. https://t.co/uzDvcQbMOx pic.twitter.com/1OkgwQJzZf
“When completed, it will be open to the Public while, at the same time, designed to the Highest Level of Golf and able to hold World Class Tournaments such as the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup, and the Presidents Cup,” Trump wrote on social media.
According to a story by the Associated Press, Democracy Forward, a group representing the plaintiffs who are challenging the renovation, reiterated that the course is part of a national park and recreation facility.
“Our litigation is intended to protect this community jewel for the people and communities it serves and we will continue to work with our plaintiffs to defend it from unlawful and harmful intrusion,” Skye Perryman, the president and CEO of the group, said in a statement Sunday.
The cost estimate for the renovation is unknown.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Donald Trump announces East Potomac Golf Course will close Nov. 15 for a 15-month renovation
