The Trump administration has terminated National Links Trust’s lease with three municipal Washington, D.C., golf courses and has moved to seize control of the properties.
National Links Trust (NLT), a nonprofit organization, had a 50-year lease with the National Park Service, signed in 2020, and was tasked with renovating the three courses: Langston Golf Course, Rock Creek Park Golf and East Potomac Golf Links. However, the Trump administration believes NLT breached the terms of its lease because enough progress hasn’t made with the restorations.
NLT feels blindsided by the move.
“NLT has consistently complied with all lease obligations as we work to ensure the brightest possible future for golf in D.C.,” the organization said in a statement. “We are fundamentally in disagreement with the administration’s characterization as being in default under the lease.”
Donald Trump, an avid golfer, has expressed interest in revamping the courses with his own vision.
“I think what we’re looking to do is just build something different,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal in December, “and build them in government.”
There are concerns that green fees could rise dramatically and restrict accessibility under the president’s control; however, Trump has stated D.C. residents would be charged a discounted rate.
The mission of the courses is to provide affordable and accessible golf. Langston Golf Course, which opened in 1939, was available to Black golfers during the Jim Crow era and is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. Trump reportedly has a keen eye on East Potomac, as the property sits on the Potomac River and has views of the Washington Monument. According to the WSJ, he has told PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan that he’d like to bring a Tour event to the nation’s capital in the future.
NLT says it has provided over $8.5 million in capital improvements and points to the language in the lease that states the renovation’s timeline is “subject to change due to compliance timeframes.”
The termination notice claims that NLT owes $8.8 million in unpaid rent, but the nonprofit’s officials dispute that proclamation, saying the lease allows rent to be offset by course improvements, which were approved by the National Park Service.
The courses will remain open for now, despite the halting of NLT’s renovation plans.
“After five years spent navigating the complex Federal permitting processes, this development is extremely disappointing for all who have supported the project,” NLT said in a statement.
“We will continue to seek a dialogue with the administration to offer our experience, institutional knowledge, and strong community relationships to explore shared goals for these historic public assets. While this termination is a major setback, we remain stubbornly hopeful that a path forward can be found that preserves affordable and accessible public golf in the nation’s capital for generations to come.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Trump Administration Moves to Seize Control of Washington D.C.’s Public Golf Courses.
