The Donald Trump administration has officially handed over the historic East Potomac course to new federal control. Now, the historic Langston Golf Course stands next in line for a massive and sudden takeover. This eighty-seven-year-old site opened back in 1939 to serve Black golfers during the difficult Jim Crow Era. Now, a fierce battle for control threatens the very heart of these public and historic greens.

“We want to be here for the community, giving young people [jobs] and life skills, access to college scholarships,” Damian Cosby told DC News Now. “And the history of these facilities, we are concerned that that history would die.”

Cosby is the executive director of National Links Trust, which managed these three public sites until recently. He fears that a commercial takeover will erase the storied past of these historic African American greens.

In October 2020, NLT, a non-profit group, took control over Washington’s three historic public, federally owned golf courses: Langston, Rock Creek in Northwest, and East Potomac in Southwest, with a 50-year lease with the National Park Service. But in October 2025, the Department of the Interior sent NLT a notice of default, claiming that NLT failed to meet important renovation deadlines for the land and owes the National Park Service millions of dollars in unpaid rent.

NLT respectfully disagrees with the claim that they are in default of their active lease, and a report from the Athletic notes their timeline for improvements is actually general and subject to change. But the federal government officially terminated the fifty-year lease with the non-profit group on December 30.

These sudden moves trigger unrest among the employees and the local people who built their lives around these historic greens. Let’s look at some examples.

Jade Gaskins is a bright junior at Phelps Ace High School in Northeast Washington. She dreams of working in the stars as a mechanical and aerospace engineer. Last summer, she started her career with an internship at the historic Langston Links. She almost had her whole future laid out perfectly on her very first day and was hoping to intern with NLT again in the summer of 2026. Gaskins planned to return as a caddie for the busy summer of 2026 and hoped this job would eventually lead to a full college scholarship. Now, those big dreams are suddenly stuck in a deep and sandy bunker.

“My heart dropped. I did get a notification from their Instagram that they might have to shut down,” Gaskins said.

During a press conference on Air Force One on January 11, the President said, “We’re going to make it a beautiful world-class US Open caliber course. Ideally, we’re going to have major tournaments there and everything else. It’s going to bring a lot of business into Washington.”

Alex Dickson, a local golfer who is very involved in the Washington area golf scene, says the situation leaves fewer opportunities for people who are just starting out in golf. Many of the best and nicest courses are private and very hard for beginners to join. Especially when you talk about a junior golfer who does not come with much money. If these public courses become too expensive, many newcomers will be completely shut out of the sport.

Langston was built for the Black community as a replacement for an even older nine-hole course. It is home to the oldest Black men’s and women’s golf clubs in the country. This site is directly tied to the desegregation of the sport across all of America. Legendary stars like Lee Elder used to play here and teach the game to others.

Robert “Cowboy” Harris has been visiting the Langston course for over seventy-three years now. The 81-year-old native first stepped on these links when he was only four years old. He says this historic place kept him out of the system and away from jail. The old clubhouse was once a small wooden shack with fairways made of red clay. He just hopes the government keeps the golf course going for the next generation of kids.

Damian Cosby also noted that half of the volunteers do not even play the game today. They came because they care about what this facility means to their local neighborhood.

DC News Now reached out to federal officials several times for a sit-down interview recently. They wanted to ask about the future of scholarships and internships for local students today. But the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service have not responded yet. This silence leaves many residents feeling ignored and very worried about their future.

And while the DC community worried for their local golf course, Donald Trump is quietly expanding his golf empire across the globe to the Middle East.

Top Stories

Phil Mickelson Has the Last Laugh After PGA Tour Protege Rejected His LIV Golf Offer

After Jon Rahm’s Defiant Act Against $3M Fine, Tommy Fleetwood Makes DP World Tour Stance Very Clear

Scottie Scheffler Takes Side With Blunt 12-Word Message Days After Brooks Koepka’s Return Announcement

‘Disturbing’ Fake Messages Force Amanda Balionis to Issue Urgent Warning

Gary Player Pays 11-Word Tribute to Jack Nicklaus at Legend’s 86th Birthday: ‘Greatest Rival’

From the Capital to the Sands of Saudi Arabia

The Trump Organization recently revealed a landmark development in the region of Wadi Safar, Saudi Arabia. The Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization, Eric Trump, shared his pride in this million-dollar project near the city of Riyadh. 

“We are proud to expand our presence with this landmark development in Wadi Safar,” Eric Trump said. “This project will reflect our commitment to quality and excellence while complementing the rich heritage of the region.”

The Trump Organization has teamed up with two major Saudi developers, Dar Al Arkan and its international arm, Dar Global, to work on that project. This massive resort will cover over two million square meters of high-end desert real estate. And it will feature a championship-level golf course along with many luxury homes and hotels. This move joins other successful ventures already operating in the nearby cities of Dubai and Oman.

Coming back to the D.C. Course, the National Links Trust will continue to run the courses daily for the short term. They want to ensure that local golfers can still play their favorite weekend rounds today. But all major renovation projects are now in a state of total limbo.

The Trump administration wants to restore the courses really beautifully by building them in-house. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum believes some sites are currently in a state of disrepair. Trump has met with famous architects like Tom Fazio to discuss his grand vision. He also asked Jack Nicklaus to revitalize the courses at Joint Base Andrews.