Washington’s three public golf courses will move to a new operating plan after the Trump administration ended a long-term federal lease, according to the operator of the courses and the Department of the Interior.
The National Links Trust, the nonprofit that has run the courses on federal land for the last five years, said Wednesday that the Interior Department terminated its 50-year lease agreement for the three public courses in Washington. The Interior Department said it terminated the lease because the nonprofit had not implemented required capital improvements and failed to meet the terms of the lease, the Associated Press reported.
Officials for the National Links Trust said they were “devastated” by the decision to terminate the lease. In a statement, the nonprofit defended its management of the courses and said $8.5 million had gone toward capital improvements during its tenure. The nonprofit also said rounds played and revenue had more than doubled while it managed the courses.
The AP reported that it was unclear what the Trump administration’s plans are for the golf courses, but the change would give Trump an opportunity to reshape links overlooking the Potomac River and in Rock Creek Park, along with a site that is part of Black golf history.
National Links Trust said it agreed to keep managing the courses for the time being, but the nonprofit said long-term renovations would stop under the termination. The decision, the AP reported, fits with the broader context of the Trump administration rebranding civic spaces and deploying National Guard members for public safety.
The golf-course lease termination comes as the Kennedy Center added Trump’s name to a performing arts space after its board voted to change the name designated by Congress as a memorial to John F. Kennedy, the AP reported.