National Links Trust says it will end operations at East Potomac Golf Links on Nov. 15

The National Links Trust said this week it will cease operations at East Potomac Golf Links, Washington’s most popular public golf course, as President Trump eyes the property for redevelopment.

In a statement Thursday, the trust said it entered a new long-term lease agreement with the Interior Department and National Park Service (NPS) to manage, operate and rehabilitate Langston Golf Course and Rock Creek Park Golf, two other public courses in the nation’s capital.

East Potomac sits on NPS land and is prime real estate on a peninsula bisecting the Potomac River in central Washington, D.C.

The trust said its “role” at the property will end on or before Nov. 15, and its new lease for Rock Creek Park Golf and Langston Golf Course will span 50 years.

Under the trust, the East Potomac course became known around the country as a model for affordable public golf and catered to players of all skill levels and backgrounds. The park is also home to a number of walking and biking trails used daily by thousands of locals and tourists, and cherry trees bring waves of visitors to D.C. every spring.

A nonprofit focused on renovating the three courses, the trust had managed the property since the COVID-19 pandemic and had its lease at East Potomac terminated by the Trump administration late last year.

Trump has been eyeing the Hains Point property for months, and earlier this year he announced plans to demolish the current courses at East Potomac and construct an 18-hole, championship-length facility designed by renown golf course architect Tom Fazio.

The president has repeatedly said current playing conditions at the course are “dangerous” and he must be allowed to revitalize the property, which he predicts will lure professional tournaments to the District.

There remain major questions about the project’s cost, which the administration has provided few details on — most notably the damaged seawall that will take hundreds of millions of dollars to repair.

Trump’s plans have been met with intense legal challenges from local preservationist groups and D.C. golfers who argue the president is using public lands for his own personal pet projects .

After the administration cleared hundreds of trees at the property earlier this month, a federal judge this week ruled no work can continue at the property while the case is being litigated.

Trump has attacked the judge and said the course will close Nov. 15. The National Links Trust’s statement this week is the first acknowledgment the organization has made of the president’s timeline.

“While continuing this important work, NLT is preparing for a full-scale rehabilitation of the facility in the near future,” the nonprofit said.

“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,” it added.