Future of East Potomac Golf Course in question after lease termination, judge denies request to halt work

Source: WTOP

Future of East Potomac Golf Course in question after lease termination, judge denies request to halt work

Neal Augenstein | naugenstein@wtop.com
Mike Murillo | mmurillo@wtop.com
May 4, 2026, 11:00 AM

A federal judge will not order work to be stopped on the East Potomac Golf Course amid concerns over the future of one of D.C.’s most iconic golf courses. ... The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes Monday comes after online news outlet NOTUS reported late last week the Trump administration had planned to close the golf course as early as Sunday, with plans to begin construction and tree clearing by Monday.

That news prompted legal advocacy nonprofit Democracy Forward to file an emergency court order requesting a federal judge to halt any maintenance on the course by the Trump administration, claiming it’s “irreparably destroying a priceless piece of American history.”

President Donald Trump said in January he wants to make East Potomac Golf Course, “a beautiful, world-class, U.S. Open-caliber course.” In court Monday, an attorney representing the D.C. Preservation League pointed to fundraising efforts reportedly showing renderings of a lavish golf club. ... Reyes said she wants to learn whether the White House or some third party is driving that fundraising. ... The National Park Service’s Superintendent of the National Mall Kevin Griess assured the judge the plans are only to remove dead and dangerous trees, as well as to carry out regular maintenance. ... Democracy Forward, the group suing the Interior Department, said the Trump administration made similar claims with the White House ballroom project and the Kennedy Center.

Reyes said she takes Griess at his word that no renovation plans have been finalized. She said she wants to be told if more than 10 trees have to be cut down, or if there are plans to bring heavy machinery in. ,,, “I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that we’re not going to have a bulldozer knocking down trees,” Reyes told the attorney representing the Interior Department, Michael Robertson. ... Reyes said she doesn’t want a situation where she hears that something major has happened that can’t be undone. ... “If anything happens, there are going to be serious consequences. Closing one course isn’t maintenance,” she said. East Potomac has three courses.

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Read more: https://wtop.com/dc/2026/05/future-of-east-potomac-golf-course-in-question-after-lease-termination-group-seeks-to-stop-overhaul/