East Potomac Golf Course Redesign: What DC Runners Could Lose on the Hains Point Loop

A person carries blueprints as Trump tours the golf course on Sunday. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

President Trump toured East Potomac Golf Links with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and golf architects Tom and Gavin Fazio late last month. He later said renovation would begin September 1, claiming the course would have the ability to host the U.S. Open, Ryder Cup, and PGA Championship.

Photos from that tour reportedly show a bigger plan than what's been publicly disclosed. Per GearJunkie's review of the photos, the drawings stretch the redesigned course across nearly the entire peninsula and appear to drop the road, mini golf course, and a grove of cherry trees, cutting the current three-course, 36-hole layout to a single 18-hole championship course.

East Potomac Park was designated by Congress in 1897 to be held forever as a park for public recreation. The D.C. Preservation League has warned a championship-style redesign could push one of the region's most accessible public facilities out of reach for many local players.

The D.C. Preservation League and two local residents, represented by Democracy Forward and co-counsel, sued the Department of the Interior on February 13, 2026. The suit alleges violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires government review before major changes to public land, arguing redevelopment steps are already underway without that process.