Statement on lease termination
The National Links Trust is devastated by the Trump administration’s decision to terminate our 50-year lease with the National Park Service. Since taking over stewardship of Rock Creek, East Potomac, and Langston courses five years ago, NLT has consistently complied with all lease obligations as we work to ensure the brightest possible future for public golf in DC.
We are fundamentally in disagreement with the administration’s characterization of NLT as being in default under the lease. We have always had a productive and cooperative working relationship with the National Park Service and have worked hand in hand on all aspects of our golf course operations and development projects.
Our tenure as lessees of the DC golf courses has been rewarding and successful. We have invested over $8.5 million in capital improvement projects at the courses, including critical short-term improvements that have paid significant dividends, more than doubling rounds and revenues while keeping green fees well below the market average for area public courses. Most importantly, we have made a difference in the community. As one example, our Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program at Langston has provided summer employment to nearly 200 DC high school students, teaching the business of golf and providing essential job and life skills applicable in and outside the golf industry.
We have agreed to stay in place for the time being as operators so that the DC courses can remain open. This will allow uninterrupted access to golf in the District and our hundreds of dedicated employees to stay in place. Since our founding, the National Links Trust has had the privilege to ensure that DC’s municipal golf courses remain accessible, affordable, and welcoming to all. Our commitment remains unchanged and we will continue to pursue our mission with the support of our community for as long as we are allowed.
While the golf courses will remain open for now, unfortunately our long-term renovation projects will cease. At our in-progress Rock Creek Park rehabilitation project, construction has been stopped and our general contractor is in the process of demobilizing. After five years spent navigating the complex Federal permitting processes, this development is extremely disappointing for all who have supported the project.
We will continue to seek a dialogue with the administration to offer our experience, institutional knowledge, and strong community relationships to explore shared goals for these historic public assets. While this termination is a major setback, we remain stubbornly hopeful that a path forward can be found that preserves affordable and accessible public golf in the nation’s capital for generations to come.
learn more
National Treasure: The White House’s Dirty Takeover of Public Golf Courses (Youtube) - Pablo Torre Finds Out, The Athletic, January 23, 2026
Local DC golf community on edge as Trump takeover looms (with video) - DC News Now, Alex Flum, January 22, 2026
At D.C.’s public courses, golfers tee off on Trump’s takeover plan - The Washington Post, Rick Maese and Joe Heim, January 15, 2026
What happens next could reshape more than fairways and greens. Langston, East Potomac and Rock Creek Park long have served as community hubs as much as golf courses, especially for players who have few affordable alternatives. The involvement of President Donald Trump, an avid golfer and high-end course developer, has raised fears that the administration could determine whether they will remain places where everyday Washingtonians feel welcome.
Trump’s self-serving takeover of D.C. public golf is bad news for all - The Athletic, Hugh Kellenberger, January 8, 2026
Because East Potomac, Rock Creek, and Langston represent something more than 68 holes of affordable, accessible golf to the D.C. residents who fill their tee sheets. This is about what golf should be and who it is for, and a brazen attempt to strip away a public good and hoard it for the privileged few.
Trump takeover of D.C. courses begs for compromise - Global Golf Post, Jim Nugent, January 7, 2026
The Trump administration’s seizure of three public golf courses in Washington, D.C., should be a local story in the nation’s capital. However, because of the way the seizure is taking place, and given President Donald Trump’s outsized presence in the game, it is a story with reverberations throughout the global golf ecosystem.
The National Links Trust’s Battle with the Trump Administration, Explained - Fried Egg Golf, Garrett Morrison, January 5, 2026
This isn't just a D.C. story, it's a story about the fragility of affordable public golf in America.
Why the Trump Administration is Taking Over Washington D.C.’s Public Golf Courses - Huddle Up, Joe Pompliano, January 5, 2026
The Trump administration offered to help D.C.'s public golf courses raise money and cut red tape. Instead, they are taking them over, likely raising prices to an unaffordable level.
Golfers worry about future of DC’s public courses after contract termination (with video) - WJLA, Brad Bell, January 1, 2026
Video: Trump administration terminates lease for DC’s public golf courses, threatening renovation and youth programs - WUSA 9, Eric Flack, January 1, 2026
Trump administration terminates DC public golf lease (with video) - NBC 4 Washington, Aimee Cho, January 1, 2026
The Trump-D.C. muni golf controversy, explained. 9 questions and answers - Golf.com, James Colgan, January 1, 2026
Future of D.C. golf courses uncertain as Trump administration terminates lease - Washington Post, Rick Maese, December 31, 2025
The Trump administration terminated the lease agreement governing Washington’s three public golf courses, a move that throws the future of municipal golf in the District into uncertainty and clears a path for the president to put his imprint on one of the region’s most prominent public courses.
Trump administration terminates nonprofit’s control over DC golf courses in possible takeover bid - CNN, Michael Williams, December 31, 2025
The Trump administration is terminating a nonprofit’s management of three public Washington, DC, golf courses, in what may be the latest effort to put President Donald Trump’s stamp on local institutions.
Trump administration moves to take control of D.C.’s municipal golf courses - The Athletic, Gabby Herzig, December 31, 2025
The Trump administration has officially moved to seize control of the municipal golf courses in Washington, D.C.
National Links Trust, the nonprofit that holds a 50-year lease with the National Park Service to rehabilitate three historic public golf courses — East Potomac Golf Links, Langston Golf Course and Rock Creek Park Golf — received a formal notice of termination from the Department of the Interior (DOI) on Tuesday, according to a statement from the organization. The termination is effective immediately.
NO LAYING UP PODCAST - 12/21/25 - Segment with NLT Co-Founder Mike McCartin starts at 1:13:13. This is the most comprehensive discussion of the most recent developments.
Trump’s attempted takeover of DC golf courses sets off controversy - The Hill, Dominick Mastrangelo, December 22, 2025
President Trump is eyeing a takeover of the Washington, D.C., public golf system, but local golf officials and elected leaders are vowing not to cede control of the city’s affordable courses. The administration earlier this fall sent a notice of default to the National Links Trust, the local public-private nonprofit that has overseen and operated D.C.’s three municipal golf courses since 2020.
Lawmakers criticize Trump’s bid to take over D.C. golf courses
Washington Post, Rick Maese, December 18, 2025
With a takeover threat looming, Democratic lawmakers criticized the Trump administration’s apparent bid to wrest control of Washington’s public golf courses, with one congressman saying the default process that the government is using appears to break from the National Park Service’s lease requirements. The 50-year lease between the National Park Service and nonprofit National Links Trust requires the government to identify specific violations and give the operator time to fix them before declaring a default. But the notice of default sent to the group Oct. 29 — issued by the Interior Department’s Solicitor’s Office — did not list any violations or outline any path to address the situation.
Good public golf at affordable rates? Why would Trump oppose that? [Opinion]
Washington Post, Barry Svrluga, December 17, 2025
The easy and reflexive response to the Trump administration’s designs to take over Washington’s municipal golf courses is some combination of “Hands off!” and “With everything going on around the world, this is worth your time?”
Federal Move Toward Control of D.C. Golf Courses Triggers Political and Legal Scrutiny - Grants Pass Tribune, John Oliver, December 22, 2025
A federal effort linked to President Donald Trump to assume control of Washington, D.C.’s public golf courses has set off a growing controversy that blends politics, contract law, public land management, and concerns over access to community resources. At the center of the dispute are three municipally used courses operated under a long-term lease that critics say is being challenged without sufficient explanation or legal clarity.
Trump’s golf course takeover could disrupt Marine Corps marathon and cherry blossoms
Alternet, Sarah K. Burris, December 18, 2025
President Donald Trump is in the middle of another government takeover attempt that will leave the nation's capital marred by his whims, the Washington Post reported Thursday. Trump seeks control of three public golf courses, breaking a 50-year lease between the National Park Service and the nonprofit National Links Trust. To do so, the government must identify violations, but the Interior Department’s Solicitor’s Office skipped that step when issuing a notice of default on Oct. 29, 2025.
For Black Youth, Public Golf Courses Are Entry Points
The Contrarian, Daryn Dickens, December 16, 2025
Imagine as the sun rises higher, you know it is almost time. You head to the putting green and sink a few practice putts, listening to the quiet rhythm of the golf course waking up. When it is time to start your round, you pick up your clubs and walk to the first hole, your club heads softly clanking with each step. Dry leaves crunch under your feet. You finally reach the tee box and take in the course waiting for you, trees decorated in orange, red, yellow, and brown, contrasting with the bright-green fairway. You tee up your ball, take a breath, and hit one of the purest shots you have hit in a while. You put your club away and begin the long walk forward, surrounded by a peaceful, comfortable, and calming environment.
how to help
Please help us increase awareness about the Trust’s work and the value of DC’s municipal courses by sharing our message with your friends, family, neighbors, and social network. Above are some relevant articles to share and below is some key information we hope can be communicated.
What We want People to Know
● NLT’s commitment to the future of DC’s municipal courses. The National Links Trust remains committed to delivering on the vision we laid out when we began our lease five years ago: – rehabilitating Rock Creek, Lagnston, and East Potomac golf courses in a manner that honors the past and ensures a bright future for these national treasures.
● The importance of these courses to the community. The three DC municipal courses hold a special place in the DC community, the golf community, and the history of the sport. The proposed plans for each course will allow each to fulfill its unmet potential to serve the DC community and change lives through affordable and accessible municipal golf.
● Why does this matter to you?