The Trump administration has brokered a deal to renovate and restore three public courses in Washington, D.C., including East Potomac Golf Links, which it plans to transform into a “top-tier 18-hole championship golf course capable of hosting pre-eminent tournament golf,” according to a statement released last Friday night.
The National Park Service, National Links Trust, Fazio Design, First Tee of Washington, D.C., Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars will partner on what the statement called “a historic investment” in the three facilities. The National Park Service will oversee the East Potomac renovation, which will incorporate themes of the original Walter J. Travis design, the statement said. Meanwhile, the National Park Service, National Links Trust and the local First Tee chapter will collaborate on the redevelopment of Langston Golf Course, which will include a state-of-the-art learning facility, while the park service and the trust will spearhead major renovations at Rock Creek Park Golf.
Langston Golf Course
Linda Davidson, The Washington Post via Getty Images
The National Links Trust will have a new long-term lease at Langston and Rock Creek Park and will continue operating East Potomac until the National Park Service is ready to start the renovation there, the trust said in a Friday statement. “We are pleased that Washington, D.C.’s municipal golf courses – East Potomac Golf Links, Langston Golf Course, and Rock Creek Park Golf – will now remain open, accessible, and affordable for the residents and communities that depend on them,” the statement said.
The U.S. Department of the Interior terminated the National Links Trust’s previous 50-year lease to operate the three facilities last December.
The announcement followed an intense week of negotiations between Department of Interior officials and stakeholders that involved “a lot of heavy lifting,” a source close to the situation told GGP. Although the administration’s statement did not specify Fazio Design’s role in the project, previous reporting has indicated that the firm will lead the East Potomac renovation. Architect Tom Fazio, the firm’s principal, insisted during last week’s negotiations that East Potomac remain affordable and accessible to local golfers, two sources told GGP.
In addition, the initiative will perpetuate an existing charitable partnership with the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholars Foundation – expanding upon a caddie program the National Links Trust established at Langston to include an Evans Scholars Foundation Caddie Academy at East Potomac – while the NFL’s Washington Commanders are discussing a potential partnership at Langston in connection with the team’s development of a new stadium nearby, the statement said.
A lawsuit filed by the D.C. Preservation League and two Washington residents seeking to block the administration’s plans for East Potomac will continue, The Athletic reported, citing an unnamed source involved in the litigation. READ MORE
Claire Dowling will serve as captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 2026-27, thereby becoming the first woman to serve as captain, it was announced Wednesday.
A native of Ireland, Dowling represented Great Britain & Ireland in four Curtis Cups and captained the GB&I squad in the 2000 match. One of the first women to become a member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in 2015, she has also served as an Open Championship referee seven times.
Dowling will begin her year in office after the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course on Sept. 25. READ MORE
The Truist Championship will award an annual $10,000 journalism scholarship to honor Global Golf Post senior writer Ron Green Jr. and his late father, longtime Charlotte Observer sports writer Ron Green Sr., the tournament announced last Tuesday.
The Ron Green Scholarship Fund will award the grant to a deserving undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who is currently enrolled in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, with a demonstrated interest in sports communications.
“Our family is truly honored to be the namesake for this great scholarship fund,” Ron Green Jr. said. “I have vivid memories of growing up playing golf with my dad, and later sitting next to him in media centers doing our best to bring this game to life with our words. The University of North Carolina has been and continues to be an important part of our family, and this association is special in so many ways. This tournament, Quail Hollow Club and the Harris family have meant so much to Charlotte through the years and we are humbled to have the Green family name associated with that legacy in such a positive manner.” READ MORE
Tap-Ins
With renovations slated for completion at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida, the club affirmed that the Coleman Invitational will return in 2027 after a two-year hiatus. It is scheduled for April 22-24. READ MORE
Wichita State University is discontinuing its men’s and women’s golf programs effective immediately, citing long-term financial sustainability as the driving factor behind the decision. READ MORE
The North Adelaide Golf Course will host an Australian Open every year from 2028 to 2034, including three men’s and three women’s championships, it was announced last Thursday. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity
