The Last Month of East Potomac (As We Know It)

On Saturday, August 1, a group of Fried Egg Golf Club members and I met on the first tee of the Blue Course at East Potomac Golf Links. Flanked by some great kids participating in a summer caddie program, we set off for a wonderful morning with a breeze coming off the Potomac River and the sounds of planes coming and going from nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. We played quickly, made some new friends, and got home for lunch. It was about as perfect as a Saturday morning can go at your local municipal course. And yet, still permeating the air around us was the unshakable uncertainty of how many more Saturday mornings like this we could have.

The month of August may very well be the final month of existence for the community asset known to Washington D.C. residents as East Potomac Golf Links. As Garrett Morrison has routinely reported on in recent months, the Department of the Interior and the Trump Administration have put forth plans to overhaul the entirety of East Potomac Park, converting the land into “a championship-quality golf course.” President Trump announced that work would begin on September 1, and even made a surprise visit to the course in July, in which renderings without any bike paths or running trails were seen. With September fast approaching, times are tense at East Potomac.

When I moved to the nation’s capital two years ago, I knew East Potomac was going to be a centerpiece of my golf world. Having golf just 10 minutes from your house while living in a city is pretty much unheard of in the United States. Even if the range balls had seen better days, EP would undoubtedly be where I spent free hours. At the time, I had hoped to be around to finally cover the National Links Trust’s restoration work at each of D.C.’s three municipal courses, the highlight of which being the restoration of a reversible East Potomac.

While I would be lying if I said I visited East Potomac more than once a month in my first two years as a D.C. resident (we’re busy!), Saturday reaffirmed the value of the peninsula to city and area residents. Throughout the morning, we watched as the par-3 Red Course and executive White Course filled with golfers of all skill levels. A foursome waited on the first tee of the Red Course as we played No. 9 on the Blue, allowing us to watch one of the women in the group teach another how to grip a club. Pace may not be quick on the Red Course, but you’ll find a lot of enthusiastic beginners over there. As we finished, a raucous group of early-20-somethings drove by us holding a bag of light beers and asked if they were on the right path to the White Course (they were). At any given moment, you could look to the outskirts of the course and find running clubs and bikers circling around you. The way out then took you past a jam-packed mini-golf course and clubhouse patio full of lunchgoers. All told, more than 700 people played golf in some form or fashion at East Potomac on Saturday, and that doesn’t include the runners, bikers, or those having a picnic at Hains Point.

With just weeks to go until the initial proposed shutdown date, D.C. golfers are going to be glued to the DOI’s actions and an ongoing DC Preservation League lawsuit trying to stop any work from happening at East Potomac. Having sat in on the Preservation League’s July 2 hearing in front of Judge Ana Reyes, I can personally tell you that Judge Reyes is closely monitoring the action. Frankly, she seemed skeptical of both sides during the hearing, but too much can still happen in the coming weeks to swing the momentum within that courtroom.

Still, as the clock ticks down on the September 1 deadline, no final plans for the land have been announced or communicated just yet. And lawmakers from D.C., Virginia, and Maryland are paying attention. “We write with strong objections to your rushed ‘redevelopment’ of East Potomac Park, as well as the lack of clear public communication as to the changes planned for a beloved historic and recreation site,” the lawmakers wrote. And yet, as Garrett Morrison stated in his most recent Design Notebook, “it’s hard to imagine that the project will receive legal approval within the next month. But of course that may not have any bearing on whether it happens.”

That there is any uncertainty about the future of East Potomac Golf Links is nothing short of a travesty. Not only is East Potomac at capacity in its current state, but proper community asset restorations around the country have also proven that local citizens will throw their full support behind worthwhile projects. Houston’s Memorial Park, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and Winter Park in Florida are just recent triumphs. An already thriving East Potomac could easily become the latest success story. The National Links Trust has already made huge strides in recent years and has a long-term plan to continue improving every aspect of the course. One of our FEGC members remarked after our round that “the course was in the best shape (I’ve seen) in years.” It may not be perfect, but for $48 to walk on a Saturday morning and with nearly 700 people on the tee sheet, East Potomac is a tremendous community value.

The future remains murky, but for now memories of our day at East Potomac will be a bright spot. We maximized our home asset and fully experienced the value East Potomac Park provides to DMV residents and the great kids in its caddie program. Personally, I got to spend time with a rising senior from Maryland for our front nine and a rising sophomore from New York City on the back. The sophomore was finishing his first year at East Potomac, and when asked if he planned to come back next year, he responded with an enthusiastic “absolutely.” I just hope he gets that chance.