Justice Department Confirms East Potomac Golf Course Closure Date

The Justice Department filed a notice late Wednesday confirming that the National Park Service will close the East Potomac Golf Course on November 15, 2026. The filing serves to align federal agency actions with the public timeline President Donald Trump outlined in recent social media posts.

According to the document, the Park Service will submit a design rendering to the National Capital Planning Commission on October 30. The plan features a world-class, championship-level course designed by Tom Fazio. The facility is intended to host major events, including the U.S. Open. The commission will review the proposal at a scheduled meeting on December 3.

The closure marks the start of a 15-month renovation period. The National Park Service has entered a new lease agreement with the National Links Trust, which currently operates the course. Under this arrangement, the trust will cease operations at East Potomac by the close of business on November 15. The company will continue to manage two other public golf courses.

This legal filing responds to a dispute initiated by the DC Preservation League and two golfers. They challenged the renovation plans after Trump announced the closure on October 18. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction on October 26. The order halted the removal of additional trees and required the government to provide 10 days' written notice before making irreversible changes to the course.

The court action stemmed from conflicting testimony. NPS, Interior Department, and Justice Department officials previously stated they had no knowledge of the plans Trump was promoting. Reyes ordered Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. to appear in court to clarify the agency's stance. She also required a representative from the Interior Department's Office of the Solicitor to attend the hearing.

Trump criticized the injunction on Truth Social, describing the course as highly dangerous and dilapidated. He stated that local golfers would be pleased by the renovation plans. The judge is holding a status hearing Friday to address the discrepancy between executive announcements and agency knowledge.

The golf course project is part of a wider effort to alter Washington's historic landscape. Similar legal challenges are pending regarding a planned arch in Memorial Circle. Judge Tanya Chutkan will hold a hearing Friday on a motion to halt construction of that arch, which the administration plans to begin as early as November 5.