In his expansive plans to remake Washington, President Trump has targeted this run-down but beloved golf course.<\/p>\n
In his expansive plans to remake Washington, President Trump has targeted this run-down but beloved golf course.<\/p>\n
Built on a man-made peninsula, East Potomac Golf Links offers 36 holes of affordable play for all skill levels.<\/p>\n
Built on a man-made peninsula, East Potomac Golf Links offers 36 holes of affordable play for all skill levels.<\/p>\n
Rendering from Fazio Design<\/p>\n
The new layout would add about 1,000 yards to the original <\/strong>18-hole course. A popular nine-hole course would be removed, the plans show.<\/p>\n The new layout would add about 1,000 yards to the original <\/strong>18-hole course. A popular nine-hole course would be removed, the plans show.<\/p>\n The redesign would include a large practice range and a short, par-3 course <\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n The redesign would include a large practice range and a short, par-3 course <\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026 in place of a larger, nine-hole course that is favored by intermediate players.<\/p>\n \u2026 in place of a larger, nine-hole course that is favored by intermediate players.<\/p>\n Most would agree that East Potomac Golf Links is in need of a makeover. It has been prone to flooding since first opening<\/a> to golfers in the 1920s. Age and a limited maintenance budget have taken their toll over the years.<\/p>\n In 2020, the National Links Trust, a nonprofit, took over operations, began improvements and made its own renovation plans. But the Trump administration is now pushing for an overhaul with a blueprint by Tom Fazio, who has designed several of the president\u2019s golf courses. The project\u2019s cost is not known<\/a> and it\u2019s unclear who would pay for it.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump has ambitions to model East Potomac after other notable public courses like Bethpage Black and Torrey Pines, which have hosted major professional tournaments. Some locals said the removal of a nine-hole course and the increased difficulty of the 18-hole course would reduce their options and nudge them out.<\/p>\n There are other challenges, too. Fixing the property\u2019s flooding and drainage issues could be expensive, and East Potomac\u2019s limited space on the small peninsula could make for a logistical headache.<\/p>\n Community concern<\/p>\n The affinity that local players have for the place is clear. They play around the drainage issues and have little interest in watching the pros take over.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vibe\u2019s incredible,\u201d said Rob Stokes, 33, who had given up golf for several years before discovering East Potomac. \u201cEveryone is having fun. I consider this to be my home course.\u201d<\/p>\n East Potomac Golf Links allows golfers to work their way up from beginner courses to more challenging ones. Doug Mills\/The New York Times<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior \u2014 which would oversee the renovation \u2014 said that the course would remain affordable and accessible for the Washington community.<\/p>\n Players like Mr. Stokes worry, however, that eliminating an entire nine-hole course would reduce the number of people who could play at East Potomac Golf Links. Under the initial plan, there would be 25 percent fewer holes, leading to fewer available tee times.<\/p>\n The lengthening of the 18-hole course could exclude even more golfers. Most golf courses have three to five tee boxes, with the longest ones being farthest from the hole and reserved for the most advanced players.<\/p>\n In the proposed design, the total yardage when played from the longest tees is 7,600 yards, compared with the current 6,599 yards. Even the distance from the shortest tees would be 1,100 yards longer on the new course, at 5,740 yards, making the game harder for many.<\/p>\n Richard Mandell, a golf course architect<\/a> who has renovated dozens of private and public courses, said that \u201cmaybe the top 2 percent would ever use\u201d the longest tee boxes and suggested adding even shorter ones to accommodate a wider range of players.<\/p>\n When asked about the plan, the Interior spokesperson said that players could tee off \u201chalfway down the fairway\u201d if they wanted. (Official rules of golf generally prohibit this.)<\/p>\n Mikhail Westelius and Suli Ajmeri, both 18, recently played at East Potomac Golf Links after their high school graduation.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of other courses I\u2019ve played are more difficult, and we play with our other friends who are just beginners,\u201d Mr. Ajmeri said.<\/p>\n Chronic flooding <\/p>\n Modern championship courses need to drain thoroughly and rapidly, in part so tournaments can fit 72 holes into their four-day windows even when it rains, and because the fairways and greens need to stay at a consistent level of firmness.<\/p>\n At the moment, a combination of high tides, a high water table and aging drainage infrastructure makes flooding and standing water a significant issue that will have to be addressed.<\/p>\n Even a modest rainfall this month caused large areas of standing water throughout the property. Doug Mills\/The New York Times<\/p>\n Floods have inundated the peninsula over the years, including in 1936 and 1985. Library of Congress; Harris & Ewing, via Library of Congress<\/p>\n The current water problems are exacerbated by a broken seawall along the property\u2019s perimeter.<\/p>\n Repairs have been discussed for decades, but they would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Recently, similar repairs to the seawall of the nearby Tidal Basin cost $112 million. The peninsula\u2019s seawall is about three times as long.<\/p>\n A portion of the extensive damage to the peninsula\u2019s seawall. Doug Mills\/The New York Times<\/p>\n A possible solution to keep the course dry would be to substantially raise the fairways by adding many tons of dirt to the course.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only way to have good-quality turf grass is to have a high and dry playing surface,\u201d Mr. Fazio recently told Golf.com<\/a>. \u201cYou have to make the water flow off and move off in order to get quality turf. So that\u2019s what we\u2019re analyzing now.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Fazio did not respond to requests for comment for this article.<\/p>\n Soil and debris from the East Wing demolition<\/a> has already been dumped<\/a> on the site. At the time the work began in October, the National Park Service said<\/a> it would use the dirt for \u201ccontour correction, drainage improvement and turf establishment.\u201d<\/p>\n The DC Preservation League, a nonprofit, as well as two local residents sued the administration over concerns that the dirt was contaminated, and that major renovations would make the course less accessible. The fill has tested positive for toxic metals<\/a>.<\/p>\n In response, a federal court told the administration that any major construction could not proceed until the suit was resolved.<\/p>\n A mound of fill from the East Wing construction sits between the fourth and ninth holes of the White Course. Doug Mills\/The New York Times<\/p>\n Mr. Mandell, the golf course architect, pointed out that raising fairways was not uncommon, but that it came with some costs. \u201cYou\u2019re going to lose trees if you raise golf holes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n While tree removal is often a part of course restoration, certain trees will be hard to replace.<\/p>\n The ancient cottonwood in the corner of the White Course appears to be replaced by a new maintenance facility in the Fazio rendering.<\/p>\n Washington\u2019s oldest grove of cherry trees \u2014 a gift from Japan in 1910 \u2014 currently sits between the fourth and the ninth holes on the White Course. In the Fazio plan, the grove is shown in the middle of the practice range. Its fate is uncertain.<\/p>\n A grove of cherry trees, a gift from Japan, sitting next to the mound of East Wing debris. Allison Robbert\/Associated Press<\/p>\n Limited space <\/p>\n Typically, professional tournaments use acres of open space for concessions, security, grandstands and bathrooms.<\/p>\n Temporary grandstands, like the ones at the U.S. Open last weekend at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., are often used during major tournaments. Tracy Wilcox\/PGA Tour, via Getty Images<\/p>\n