Justice Department Confirms Golf Course Closure Date of Nov. 15

The East Potomac Golf Course faces a scheduled closure on Nov. 15, 2026, according to a notice filed by the Justice Department on Wednesday. The filing confirms that the National Park Service will submit a design for a championship-level course to the National Capital Planning Commission on Oct. 30.

The design, created by architect Tom Fazio, is intended for a facility capable of hosting major events like the U.S. Open. The filing states that the park south of Buckeye Drive will close on Nov. 15, consistent with a directive from President Donald Trump. The planning commission is set to review the proposed rendering at its meeting on Dec. 3.

This confirmation ends a ten-day period of legal uncertainty that began when Trump posted on social media on Oct. 18 that the park would close for 15 months for renovation. The president’s posts claimed that construction plans were already complete, a statement that contradicted testimony from officials in the National Park Service, Interior Department, and Justice Department. Those officials had told the court they had no knowledge of the announced plans.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction on Oct. 26, citing the discrepancy between the president’s public statements and agency testimony. The order temporarily bars the government from removing or damaging additional trees on the course. It also requires the administration to provide ten days’ written notice before making any irreversible modifications to the course’s features while the lawsuit is active.

The Justice Department’s filing explains that the National Park Service entered a new lease agreement with the National Links Trust, the current operator of the course. Under the agreement, the trust will stop operating the East Potomac Golf Course by the close of business on Nov. 15. The trust will continue to operate two other public golf courses.

Judge Reyes ordered Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. to appear in court on Friday to clarify the status of the closure plan. She also required at least one person from the Interior Department’s Office of the Solicitor to attend the status hearing. The judge had previously planned a separate session to question why the president continued to announce plans that officials said they did not know about.

The legal battle has intensified after the government gave short notice to plaintiffs about plans to cut down hundreds of trees at the site. The plaintiffs, including the DC Preservation League and two golfers, argue that the work is causing irreversible damage and that the renovated course will become unaffordable for the general public. Trump responded to the injunction on Truth Social on Wednesday, calling the course dangerous and dilapidated.

The golf course project is one of two major initiatives facing imminent court action. Judge Tanya Chutkan will hold a hearing on Friday regarding a motion to halt construction on a memorial arch in Memorial Circle. The administration has announced plans to begin construction on that project as early as Nov. 5, pending planning commission approval.