US President announces on Truth Social that Tom Fazio will lead work at famed DC facility
By Richard Humphreys |
US President Donald Trump has announced, following a tour of the East Potomac Golf Links with interior secretary Doug Burgum and golf course architect Tom Fazio, that a renovation of the Washington DC golf facility will begin in September 2026.
“It was determined that, on this fantastic site, with water and unparalleled views of DC’s monuments, we will build one of the greatest golf courses anywhere in the world which, importantly, will also be made available to the public,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “When completed, this course will have the ability to host major golf tournaments, including the US Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Championship and other top PGA Tour events.”
East Potomac opened in the early 1920s and over the next decade, 36 holes were built: nine from Robert White, 18 from Walter Travis and nine from William Flynn. As of 2025, East Potomac saw around 130,000 rounds of golf.
In 2020, the National Links Trust (NLT) was awarded a 50-year lease with plans to renovate East Potomac along with Rock Creek and Langston Golf Course. Tom Doak, Gil Hanse and Beau Welling developed plans for each course. The plan for East Potomac included restoring the original reversible routing that Travis designed.
In December 2025, the Trump administration sent notice to NLT that it was in default of its lease, which the trust responded to. Shortly after, Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was looking at redeveloping East Potomac with Tom Fazio. This was confirmed in May 2026 when interior secretary Burgum posted Fazio’s plan on X, which showed a 7,660-yard, 18-hole course, a nine-hole short layout and a double-sided driving range.
Tom Fazio’s proposed new routing for East Potomac (Image: Fazio Design)
Also in May 2026, the NLT and the Trump administration reached a deal that gave NLT a new long-term lease to operate and redevelop Rock Creek and Langston, while it would continue to operate East Potomac on an interim basis. For that new deal, the National Park Service says it would continue to pursue “a historic restoration” of the course.
Also on this week’s Truth Social post, Trump said: “Many of the trees are badly damaged from years of neglect, putting people in great danger from falling branches, and the trees falling themselves. Additionally, the sprinkler system is gone, there is no filtration, and the remaining sprinklers are incapable of even doing 10 per cent of what is needed. The grass is largely dead, the greens are virtually unplayable, and the course is in very poor general condition but, after many years of horrendous maintenance and little money devoted to the process of upkeep, we have determined that this location can bring tremendous success and prestige back to Washington DC.”