President Donald Trump announced plans to close Washington’s East Potomac Golf Links for approximately 15 months, with renovations scheduled to begin Nov. 15.
The announcement comes amid litigation over the course’s future. GPB reported that the next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 19, less than a month before the planned closure.
In its report published and updated Oct. 19, GPB detailed a dispute over both the renovation work and public access to the golf facility.
Trump outlined the timetable in an Oct. 18 Truth Social post, which included a visual plan for the renovated course, about two miles south of the White House.
He described the proposed layout as “designed to the Highest Level of Golf and able to hold World Class Tournaments.” The post did not address the litigation.
That tournament-focused vision is central to the disagreement. In February, a D.C. preservation group and two individuals challenged the Interior Department and National Park Service over the proposed renovations.
The plaintiffs argued that a “championship-style golf course” would increase tee-time costs at a facility originally intended to be “open to all people.”
That is a concern raised in the lawsuit, rather than an established change in pricing. The reported announcement sets a construction timetable, not future tee-time rates.
The federal agencies have disputed the plaintiffs’ legal standing, arguing that they have not established actual harm from the proposed changes.
They also contend that the plaintiffs’ aesthetic and recreational preferences do not create a legally protected interest requiring the National Park Service to accommodate them.
Judge Ana C. Reyes has already ordered the administration to stop cutting down trees at the park. That order concerns tree cutting, not a reported resolution of the broader lawsuit.
On Oct. 16, the defendants filed a motion seeking to disqualify Reyes, accusing her of bias. The filing represents their allegation, not a finding against the judge.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, one of the organizations representing the plaintiffs, emphasized the park’s public purpose in a statement.
“East Potomac Park is a national park, golf course, recreational facility that is meant for everyone to enjoy,” Perryman said, pledging to continue the litigation.
NPR reported that it had sought comment from the Interior Department’s legal representatives and the White House but had not received responses.
