Sixteen years on the same course, starting from cleaning carts and taking out trash and working up to operations manager. That is Lorenza “Country” Robinson’s entire professional life built at East Potomac Golf Links. So when the Trump administration moved to overhaul the property, Robinson was not talking about tee times or renovation budgets. He talked about what course meant to locals.

“It’s not about money; it’s about just a place for sanctuary, man,” he said. “You might not have anything in your pocket; that doesn’t matter here. Bring your body. You’re having a troubled day; you’re going through something. By the time you leave this golf course, you’ll feel a lot better,” said Robinson, adding that the possibility of the course disappearing felt like “air let out of a balloon.”

East Potomac is the busiest of D.C.’s three public golf courses, drawing residents across income levels to a 36-hole facility that also offers walking trails, picnicking, and fishing. For many, it is the only accessible option, and that access is now under threat.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration terminated the National Links Trust’s lease on East Potomac, Langston, and Rock Creek Park Golf Course, citing alleged failures to meet rent and capital investment obligations. NLT disputes that entirely, stating it invested roughly $8.5M in improvements since securing its 50-year lease during Trump’s first term.

Sources told Golf Digest that Trump wants to transform the property into a major championship or Ryder Cup venue, with the Washington Post reporting plans for a new “Garden of Heroes Memorial” alongside a professional-tier course. New infrastructure may also include a new colonial-style clubhouse and water features. The redesign is slated to replace some current public amenities, such as certain bike paths and mini-golf, which have been part of the park’s history.

This drew sharp reactions from regular golfers. “This is tragic for DC, this is tragic for municipal golf,” said Chris Bence, who was at the course on Sunday as emergency legal filings were being made. “It’s just going to take away golf from a lot of people.”

Fellow golfer Andre Claro echoed that concern. “I think for the people that are into golf and want to come here and have that freedom to come here as a public course, it’s going to take that away from them.” Jack Hall put it simply: “It’s just very welcoming. And it feels like it’s not going to become welcoming anymore.”

Those reactions came as attorneys for the DC Preservation League filed an emergency stay in D.C. federal court on Sunday, hours after Democracy Forward filed a similar action, both seeking to block a takeover that was expected as early as Monday. This was on top of an earlier lawsuit filed over environmental violations after demolition debris from the White House East Wing was dumped at the course, and testing found lead, chromium, and other heavy metals in the rubble.

On May 11, both sides announced a settlement. NLT retains operational control of all three courses, while Tom Fazio will overhaul East Potomac, with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum overseeing the project. The National Park Service will also carry out broader infrastructure work, including a seawall rebuild projected to cost upwards of $600 million. NLT confirmed the courses will remain open, accessible, and affordable.

The contrast is stark: while the administration invests $600M in East Potomac’s environmental overhaul, Trump’s Scottish course has logged years of sewage violations.

Trump’s environmental record at his own courses tells a different story

Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire has breached sewage contamination standards, according to documents obtained from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. Eight of those incidents were classified as “upper-tier” events, meaning they carried potential for immediate and serious environmental harm.

Groundwater samples near the private wastewater system for the course contained byproducts of human waste, including ammoniacal nitrogen and suspended solids, the report said. This is the same course where Trump opened another 18 holes in July 2025 when Keir Starmer visited.

Trump’s team disputed the findings at the time. Executive Vice President Sarah Malone said the monitoring framework allows for a certain number of exceedances, and independent environmental engineers questioned SEPA’s methodology. For its part, Sepa concluded that the environmental impact was minimal given the natural filtration that occurs after the sampling point.