The Trump administration has terminated the 50-year leases held by the nonprofit National Links Trust, effectively taking control of the three courses. For decades, the city’s three public golf courses, Rock Creek, Langston, and East Potomac, have been more than recreational spaces. They’ve been steady workplaces for employees who built their lives around these historic greens. But the future of the employees remains uncertain. 

Garrett Johnston, the host of the Beyond the Clubhouse podcast who is also a Steadicam op for ESPN and NBC, decided to have a talk regarding this matter with one of the employees who has been working under the National Link Trust. Johnston shared, “Spoke with an employee of the National Links Trust today and they said that East Potomac Golf Links and the other 2 DC public courses might be shut down as soon as end of this week.”

On one hand, new leadership is likely to bring higher fees and major changes. But on the other hand, employees fear job cuts or replacements under a different management system. Many of them have spent years maintaining these public spaces and worry they may no longer be needed. The ESPN insider further added, “Employees are saying that moral is understandably low. Like they’re just waiting around and could be let go at any time.”

The organization, too, expressed how they are “deeply saddened by the Trump administration’s decision to terminate our 50-year lease with the National Park Service”. However, the administration has a different perspective to share regarding this move. An Interior Department spokesperson shared with NBC News, “The Trump administration prides itself on getting the job done for the American people and partnering with others who share that same goal.”

Now, with control shifting hands, employees fear what comes next. And as it appears, they are not the only ones who are expressing dissatisfaction against the sudden step taken by Trump’s administration to end the long-term leases. Several renowned names from the golf community have criticized the decision.

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Golf analysts warn DC community will lose affordable access after the Trump takeover

Golf analysts Neil and Randy, who appeared together for the No Laying Up podcast, did not hold back their thoughts. Neil blatantly added, “I don’t think that’s affordable golf. I don’t think that’s long-term golf. I just hate this. It’s bad business.” Emphasizing further on his personal opinion, he stated, “And politics aside, there’s one thing I know I definitely don’t agree with when it comes to Donald Trump—taste. Trump Potomac is not going to be the kind of course I want to play.”

Randy, too, echoes a similar thought as he threw light on how such a massive decision might impact the local community. He said, “…the core mission of the National Links Trust was to create very good public golf courses that were also affordable for people in and around Washington, D.C. I think the real losers here are the people around D.C., the kids, the newcomers, the people who could’ve gotten into golf and had access to these places… My guess is they’re now completely shut out.”

They pointed out how Easy Potomac has been way more affordable for the longest time, as it charges $25–$40 for 18 holes. Such a rate allows local residents, beginners, and casual golfers to play regularly. On the other hand, Trump-affiliated golf courses, even when technically open to the public, are run as luxury, profit-driven venues. At Trump National Doral Miami, green fees of $260–$595 per round indeed reflect the major price gap. Now, only time will reveal how the upcoming days will turn out for these historic courses and how the local community and employees will be impacted in the long run.