Short Term Pain, Long Term Gain: Trump’s Crusade Against DC Golf Org Is One War We Desperately Need

(Photo by Lauren Sopourn/Getty Images)

D.C.’s public golf courses are beginning to complain about the Trump administration’s 2025 move to revamp the treasured landmarks and actually turn the courses into halfway decent, playable links that don’t look like a neglected suburban backyard. 

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal in late 2025, the Trump administration was evaluating plans to modernize the city’s public courses, specifically East Potomac Golf Links, Rock Creek Park Golf, and Langston Golf Course. While the administration would need to navigate significant bureaucratic obstacles and cut through extensive red tape, the project remains possible. (RELATED: Trump Has Glorious Chance To Turn DC Courses Into Crown Jewels Of American Golf)

The Department of the Interior also cancelled the National Links Trust’s 50-year lease on the course. A non-profit, NLT was the organization in charge of operating the courses. 

In a recent email, playDCgolf complained that ongoing staffing shortages and disruptions to normal operating times, thanks to the cancelled contract, will affect local golfers.

Frankly, these complaints are absurd. In fact, they have no right to complain. They never really cared about the courses to begin with.

If you have ever golfed in DC, then you are well aware that these links are certainly no Augusta. They are maintained with the bare minimum of effort. If there is just half an inch of rain, the Potomac Golf Links turns into a Vietnam rice paddy during monsoon season. Meanwhile, Langston is about as tidy as a war zone. The pockmarked tee boxes are basically mounds of dirt. It’s also very dysfunctional, and on a crowded day, the starters are virtually non-existent.

Perhaps this is some short-term pain for long-term gain. If the Trump administration were to revitalize the courses and keep them affordable, mind you, that would be a huge win for golfers in the nation’s capital. It would be a huge win for America.

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