President Donald Trump unveiled an updated design for the redevelopment of East Potomac Golf Links, a public golf course on Hains Point in Washington, D.C., in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.
The new design appears to have several notable differences from an earlier proposal released in May, including changes to the planned facilities and the amount of surrounding public parkland used for golf.
The earlier plan, designed by golf course architect Tom Fazio, was revealed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Trump shared the new design for the 106-year-old park and public golf course, which he said had been developed by the Department of the Interior in conjunction with Fazio. The design remains a proposal and has not been confirmed as the final plan.
Newsweek contacted the Department of the Interior via email on Monday, outside of regular working hours.
...
The president announced that restoration work would begin on November 15, without acknowledging the ongoing legal challenge to the project.
A federal judge has temporarily halted tree-cutting at the park while a lawsuit brought by local golfers and the D.C. Preservation League challenges the administration’s plans, alleging violations of environmental and historic-preservation laws.
The proposed overhaul has also drawn criticism from local residents and golfers, who fear a high-end redesign could make the popular public facility less affordable and reduce access to surrounding parkland.
These are the biggest apparent differences between the two designs.
Nine-Hole Short Course Is Gone
The May design included a separate nine-hole short course and a driving range, alongside the 18-hole championship course.
The October rendering shows only one 18-hole course and a driving range, with no separate short course depicted.
The original design showed a par-72 championship course measuring 5,700 to 7,660 yards, depending on tee position. The updated design does not specify the course’s par or total yardage.
Course Extends Into Public Recreation Space
The revised layout appears to extend the championship course further south across Hains Point, encompassing areas that currently serve as public green space. The May design left the southern tip of the peninsula untouched.
The course’s proposed 12th hole is now shown occupying the space, which currently has a public picnic and playground area.
Perimeter Loop No Longer Shown
The May design showed the course layout preserving Ohio Drive, the perimeter road that loops around the park and provides access for walkers and cyclists.
The October rendering no longer depicts the full loop as a separate area. It is unclear whether it would be removed or otherwise affected.
Miniature Golf Course, Cherry Trees No Longer Depicted
East Potomac Park has a miniature golf course that first opened in 1931, near a grove of some of the city's oldest Japanese flowering cherry trees. Fazio had previously said that the miniature golf course, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, would be preserved.
The original May design excluded the area containing the miniature golf course and cherry tree grove from the proposed golf-course layout.
However, the October rendering does not clearly identify these features, leaving it unclear whether they would be retained.
Construction Timeline Added to the Plan
The revised plan is now tied to an accelerated redevelopment timetable.
President Trump has said construction will begin on November 15, with the existing course closing for around 15 months before reopening as what he described as one of the world's premier golf destinations.
"The United States Golf Association, PGA of America, and the PGA Tour have already been notified that they will soon have one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World to put on their list of great places to play, and hold Major Events," he wrote.
The shift toward creating a tournament-caliber course marks a significant departure from the park's historic purpose and has intensified concerns that extensive landscape changes, including the removal of hundreds of mature trees, could permanently alter the character of the park.
...
Those concerns are now central to an ongoing court case, with Judge Ana Reyes halting further tree-cutting until at least October 26 and ordering administration officials to testify about the environmental impact of the project.
The administration has also asked Reyes to recuse herself from the case, accusing her of bias.
The Affordability Pledge Has Changed
When the May plans were released, Burgum said the course would offer "championship-quality golf at affordable, highly discounted rates."
Trump’s October announcement described the course as "open to the Public" but did not repeat the specific commitment to affordable rates. It is unclear what green fees would be charged.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Robert Greenall and Rebecca Flood