The golf course saga in Washington D.C. continues. On Thursday, National Links Trust announced the "finalization of a new long-term lease with the Department of the Interior and National Park Service to manage, operate and rehabilitate Langston Golf Course and Rock Creek Park Golf."
NLT said Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner will continue as golf course architects and both "agreed to perform their work pro bono." The aim is for the two courses to re-open by the spring of 2028.
In the same news release, NLT confirmed its ties with the East Potomac Golf Links will officially be severed "on or before Nov. 15, 2026." President Donald Trump announced 11 days ago on his social media platform that East Potomac would close Nov. 15 and be closed for 15 months for the overhaul
of the golf course.
Tom Fazio was brought on for the East Potomac work. It's unclear what his compensation will be. Estimates on the renovation of East Potomac are as high as $50 million.
Two weeks ago, a federal judge said she was “furious” the Trump administration cut down hundreds of trees at a public golf course in Washington, DC, despite ongoing litigation aimed at preventing the destruction.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ruled earlier this year the government must give notice before any substantive construction work on the golf course could proceed, and last week issued an order halting the removal of trees at the site, which she called "inexcusable."
NLT labels itself as a "non-profit organization dedicated to positively impacting local communities and changing lives through affordable and accessible municipal golf." The new lease with the Department of the Interior and National Park Service to manager and operate Rock Creek and Langston was signed Oct. 28, 2026, and runs for 50 years.
More details from the news release:
NLT will turn its full resources toward fulfilling its original mission at these two historic community treasures. At Rock Creek Park Golf, NLT is prepared to resume major capital improvements, including a new clubhouse, driving range, and course rehabilitation. This resumption will begin in the coming months and will consist of two overlapping phases: one focused on vertical construction and practice facilities, and a second on golf course renovation and restoration. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner will remain as course architects, and both have agreed to perform their work pro bono. The project is projected to be completed in the spring of 2028, pending permitting.
At Langston Golf Course, NLT will deepen their work with community programs like the Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program. Administered since 2021, the Vardaman Program provides local high school students with a unique opportunity to learn critical workforce skills, gain real world experience applicable in and out of the golf industry, and further develop soft skills that enable future academic and career success through paid internship and junior caddie positions.
The program also creates pathways to life-changing scholarship opportunities, including the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholars Program, a full housing and tuition college grant. The program has produced three Evans Scholars. In total, NLT has invested more than $450,000 in this program and allowed students to earn more than $750,000 in college scholarships. As a result of their participation, 95% of students in the program report learning skills useful for future employment and 90% feel they are better prepared to attend college.
While continuing this important work, NLT is preparing for a full-scale rehabilitation of the facility in the near future. Guiding this facility toward a brighter future and serving as a steward for a key site at the intersection of civil rights and sports in our country is a deeply exciting opportunity, especially given its rich history and role in the local community. Carrying out this work alongside the District's investments in the area surrounding the future Washington Commanders stadium makes this project even more compelling and important.
While undertaking these projects, both facilities will remain affordable and accessible, now and into the future.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Reyes temporarily halted any further plans by the Trump administration at East Potomac.
"Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting president," Reyes wrote in a 70-page opinion. "And yet, here we are."
The next day, Trump once again posted on social media, saying he would hold Reyes “fully responsible for anybody who is hurt, or killed, on this very dangerous, dilapidated, and unsightly Golf Course.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: National Links Trust signs long-term lease at 2 D.C. golf courses, severs ties with East Potomac
