East Potomac: Justice Department confirms golf course closure for Nov. 15

The Justice Department confirmed Wednesday night that the East Potomac Golf Course will close on Nov. 15, 2026, to begin a renovation into a championship-level facility. The filing validates the timeline President Donald Trump previously announced on social media, ending a period of conflicting statements from government officials.

Under the new plan, the National Park Service will submit a design rendering to the National Capital Planning Commission on Oct. 30. The design, created by architect Tom Fazio, aims to host major events such as the U.S. Open. The planning commission is scheduled to consider the proposal at its Dec. 3 meeting.

The closure marks the end of the park's current operational status. The National Park Service has entered a new lease agreement with the National Links Trust, the company currently managing the course. Under this agreement, the Trust will stop operating the East Potomac Golf Course by the close of business on or before Nov. 15. It will continue to manage two other public golf courses.

This development follows a preliminary injunction issued Oct. 26 by U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes. The order temporarily bars the government from removing or damaging additional trees on the course. It also requires the administration to provide 10 days of written notice before making any irreversible changes to the course's features while the lawsuit remains active.

The legal dispute began after the DC Preservation League and two golfers filed suit challenging the renovation plans. The case gained urgency after the government gave plaintiffs short notice of plans to cut down hundreds of trees at the site. Critics of the project argue it will make the course unaffordable for the general public and destroy the site's other uses.

Judge Reyes ordered Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. to appear in court Friday or Monday for a status hearing. She also required at least one person from the Department of the Interior's Office of the Solicitor with prior experience on the case to attend. This order came after the president criticized the temporary injunction in a late Monday social media post.

In a Wednesday night posting on Truth Social, Trump described the course as highly dangerous and dilapidated. He stated that local golfers who have played there for years would be thrilled by the renovation plans to bring the facility into pristine condition.

The golf course renovation is part of a larger set of projects aimed at altering Washington's historic landscape. These include a White House ballroom, a large arch, and a National Garden of American Heroes. Judge Tanya Chutkan will hold a hearing Friday on a separate motion regarding the construction of the arch in Memorial Circle.

The administration plans to begin construction on the arch as early as Nov. 5, pending approval by the National Capital Planning Commission. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin submitted court filings Wednesday supporting the inclusion of defensive structures to combat drone threats, a detail not included in the original plans submitted to the planning commission.