Trump’s Golf Plans Put East Potomac Park’s Future at Risk

WHO:

BBC - Yardan said, “You start to clear everything out and it just starts to become an empty plot of land that you just hit golf balls on; I think it gets rid of the culture of the golf course.”

Alternet - East Potomac golfer Gus Johnson, 67, said, “It’s disgusting. It makes me sick,” and “He’s destroyed the course”; Johnson has visited the course for 20 years.

Alternet - Golfer Chris Lawrence, 66, who has used the course about once a week for 36 years, said, “This has always been a course for the common person” and “It’s for everyone, it’s not an elite place.”

Alternet - East Potomac employees called the area shown in Trump’s “Trash Island” posts “the Boneyard.”

CNN - President Donald Trump proposed transforming East Potomac Golf Links and surrounding parkland into a championship-level golf course.

CNN - Trump said the proposed course would remain open to the public and could host major tournaments, including the US Open and Ryder Cup.

CNN - The park and course are used by golfers, runners, cyclists, walkers, families, and visitors from the Washington, DC, region.

CNN - The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run and Marine Corps Marathon use the Hains Point route.

BBC News - Local golfers are unhappy with Trump’s plan for the public course.

WHAT:

CNN - The proposed changes could undermine a longstanding understanding between the federal government and Washington-area residents that the capital’s monuments, museums, and parks are accessible to everyone.

Alternet - Local golfers accused Trump of worsening the course’s problems by removing trees in defiance of a judge’s order.

Alternet - Golfweek reported that major tournaments Trump has said could be hosted at East Potomac were already booked in some cases into the 2040s.

Alternet - Trump posted photos of abandoned equipment, discarded logs and debris, and what he described as a “collapsing sea wall” to argue that the site needed renovation.

Alternet - Golfweek criticized the renovation plans, citing “dubious need and little desire”; it reported that major golf events Trump mentioned were already booked, in some cases into the 2040s.

CNN - The article warned that changing East Potomac Park could set a precedent for presidents to alter other public parks into expensive retreats.

CNN - Trump’s proposed makeover could replace public open space at Hains Point with a golf course; plans he posted on Sunday did not appear to show Ohio Drive or anything beyond a golf course.

CNN - East Potomac Golf Links was described as an affordable, welcoming municipal course, despite some worn tee boxes, bunkers, and fairways.

CNN - A weekend 18-hole round at East Potomac cost less than $50 for walkers; a golf cart cost an additional $18.

CNN - The course’s proposed tournament-level alternatives cited in the article charge substantially more: nearly $700 at Pebble Beach Golf Links and The Ocean Course; more than $250 for non-residents at Torrey Pines; and more than $700 at Whistling Straits. Pinehurst No. 2 requires a resort stay of at least two nights to access a tee time costing hundreds of dollars.

CNN - The Hains Point loop provides more than three miles of uninterrupted road and is used for long runs and major Washington races.

BBC News - Trump plans to turn a 106-year-old public golf course in Washington, DC, into a tournament-capable course for professional golfers.

WHERE:

CNN - East Potomac Park and East Potomac Golf Links are in Washington, DC; Ohio Drive SW circles Hains Point, passing near the Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial.

CNN - The course overlooks the Washington Monument and Potomac River; cherry trees line its exterior.

CNN - Other courses mentioned are Pebble Beach in Northern California, Torrey Pines in San Diego, Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, and The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina.

WHEN:

CNN - Trump posted the latest plans on Sunday.

CNN - The Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run takes place in spring, and the Marine Corps Marathon in fall.

BBC News - The public golf course is 106 years old.

WHY:

Alternet - Golfweek described the proposed renovation as having “dubious need and little desire.”

CNN - Trump’s stated aim is to create a course capable of hosting major tournaments.

CNN - The article says the plan could threaten affordable public recreation and access to parkland if tournament-level pricing makes the course too expensive for local golfers.

HOW:

Alternet - East Potomac employees said the debris shown in Trump’s posts came from a secluded area largely out of public view where broken equipment and other disused items were dumped.

CNN - Ohio Drive’s Hains Point loop is a gathering and exercise route for runners, walkers, and cyclists, and a key part of Washington running races.

CNN - Trump’s posted plans appear to depict a golf course without Ohio Drive or the public open space at Hains Point used for cookouts, parties, and children’s recreation.

President Trump wants to transform Washington’s 106-year-old East Potomac Golf Links and surrounding parkland into a championship-level course, saying it could host major tournaments while remaining open to the public. But local golfers fear the plan will erase an affordable, welcoming course used by ordinary residents. A weekend round currently costs less than $50 for walkers, while comparable tournament courses can charge hundreds of dollars. Trump shared images of debris and a deteriorating sea wall to argue the site needs renovation, but employees say the discarded equipment and logs came from a secluded area known as “the Boneyard.” Golfers also accuse him of removing trees despite a judge’s order. The proposed plans appear to replace public space at Hains Point, including a popular route for runners, cyclists and major races.