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Opinion Washington doesn’t need another rich man’s golf course Opinion | 2 minutes ago

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Washington doesn’t need another rich man’s golf course

In 2016, a cartoon circulated showing the White House transformed into an eight-story building with the word “Trump” on top of it — a funny warning about what might happen were a big developer ever elected president.

That cartoon is not so funny anymore. Now, developer Donald Trump is in the White House, and he’s treating the city of Washington like it’s his own sandbox, where he can alter or destroy anything in it.

He has already torn down the East Wing of the White House, started construction of a mammoth new ballroom, chained off Lafayette Square for a total remake, emblazoned his name on the Institute of Peace, renamed and threatened to tear down the Kennedy Center and proposed a new “heroes” statuary on the Washington Mall and a triumphant 250-foot-high arch at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.

As if that’s not enough, Trump also plans to gut the East Potomac Golf Course and replace it with a new, championship Trump golf course — which is the last thing Washington needs or wants.

If you live in Washington, like to play golf, and are well-off, there are lots of first-class golf clubs nearby you can choose from. That includes the Congressional Country Club; Robert Trent Jones; Chevy Chase Club; Burning Tree; Washington Golf and Country Club; Army Navy Country Club; and, of course, the Trump National Golf Club, where the president plays every weekend he’s in D.C.

True confession: Thanks to wealthy friends, I have played almost every one of those courses, but I never joined any one of them. Why? Because I couldn’t afford to. The initiation fee for Congressional is reported to be $180,000, not counting greens fees. Besides, there’s no need to pay that much. There are three public courses where anybody — working-class Washingtonians, federal employees, students — can play for less than $50.

The city of Washington, in fact, was a pioneer in recognizing that golf was a sport that not only millionaires should have an opportunity to play. Early on, the city created three municipal golf courses: Rock Creek Park (1923); Langston Golf Course (1939); and East Potomac Golf Course (1921). Langston opened as a racially-integrated course; Rock Creek and East Potomac were racially segregated until 1941.

East Potomac Golf is located on Hains Point, the eastern end of an artificial island in the middle of the Potomac River that was created by the Army Corps of Engineers. Hains Point also includes a three-mile drive lined with Japanese cherry trees, biking and jogging paths, and several large picnic areas. The golf course is actually three courses in one: the nine-hole Red Course for beginners; the moderate, nine-hole White Course; and the more-challenging 18-hole Blue Course. There is also a driving range, a practice green, a golf shop, and a snack bar.

For experienced golfers, both the White and Blue are relatively easy to play. The terrain is flat, there are no water hazards and no giant sand traps. When I played there, the only hazards were droppings of ever-present Canadian geese and occasional visits from a resident family of foxes.

But the two big advantages of East Potomac, or Hains Point, are its easy accessibility and low cost. It’s right across the channel from the city. On one side, you see the Washington Monument, the Wharf, and Navy Yard; on the other, National Airport.

And thanks to the nonprofit National Links Trust, which negotiated a 50-year lease with the National Parks Service to provide “affordable and accessible” golf to D.C. residents, anybody can afford to play there. A round of golf on a recent day at Trump National in Miami cost $215. But you can play nine holes on the White Course at East Potomac Golf for $22, or $42 for 18 holes on the Blue Course. Seniors and veterans can play the White for $21, and the Blue for $29.

But not for much longer. Trump has already started to destroy East Potomac Golf. He cancelled the lease with the National Links Trust. And every day trucks dump tons of dirt and debris from the ballroom construction site in the middle of the White Course. Soon, it will be but another playground for Trump’s millionaire friends, and “affordable and accessible golf” will be but a memory.

Enough already! Stop trying to rebuild the nation’s capital. From now on, every candidate for president should be forced to sign a pledge: “I will focus on important domestic and foreign policy issues, and I will leave Washington just the way it is.”

Bill Press is host of “The Bill Press Pod.” He is the author of “From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.”

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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