Future of East Potomac Golf Course in question after lease termination, group seeks to stop overhaul

Mike Murillo | mmurillo@wtop.com
May 4, 2026, 5:12 AM

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Future of East Potomac Golf Course in question after lease termination
With views of the Washington Monument and the Potomac River, one of D.C.’s most iconic golf courses where generations have learned the game is now facing an uncertain future.

In December 2025, the Department of the Interior ended the lease of National Links Trust, the nonprofit that has been running East Potomac, as well as the Rock Creek and Langston courses. On Sunday, a preservation group asked a judge to block the Trump administration’s from closing East Potomac Park for renovations.

The termination of NLT’s lease is a move that has sparked questions about what changes could be ahead. In January, President Donald Trump said he wants to make East Potomac Golf Course, “a beautiful, world-class, U.S. Open-caliber course.”

Mike McCartin, CEO of National Links Trust, said the organization was caught off guard by the lease’s termination. ... “So we received a notice of default in November of 2025, the notice was two sentences long,” McCartin said.

He also said the government claims improvements were taking too long, something he disputes. ... “Basically, the reason that they’re giving to terminate us is that we’re taking too long, when in fact, the timeline was driven by the Park Service,” he said.

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