WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two of the public golf courses in Washington now have a long-term operator. National Links Trust said Thursday that federal officials, the Interior Department and its park service, handed the nonprofit a half-century deal to run and restore the Langston course in Northeast and the Rock Creek Park course.
The nonprofit signed the lease on Oct. 28. At the same time, the group confirmed it will step away from East Potomac Golf Links on or before Nov. 15, the date the administration has set to shut that course for a renovation of about 15 months.
Rock Creek, in Northwest, is first in line. Work there will come in two overlapping phases, starting in the next few months: a new clubhouse and driving range first, then a rebuild of the course itself. Course architects Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner are staying on and will work pro bono, and the trust is aiming to finish by spring 2028, pending permits.
Langston, in Northeast, is home to the oldest Black men’s and women’s golf clubs in the country and was once run by Lee Elder, the first Black golfer to play in the Masters. The trust plans a full rehabilitation there and will keep its Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program, which has put local high school students into paid internships and caddie jobs since 2021.
The trust said both courses will stay affordable and open to the public. East Potomac remains tied up in federal court, where U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes temporarily halted further work on Oct. 27.
Filed under: Washington DC Golf News
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