A tee shot that could soon become unaffordable – that's the bitter reality facing many golfers at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington D.C. Max Salas, a 74-year-old veteran of the green, knows the public fairways there like the back of his hand. For years, the course in the heart of the US capital was his home, a place where average people could enjoy a relaxed round without having to raid their piggy banks. But the peace is over, because Donald Trump's plans to transform the course into a major-championship-worthy arena leave the retiree shaking his head.
“Leave us alone! Leave us alone!” Salas snarled when asked what message he’d like to send to Trump. “Why do we even need a championship level on a public course? We’ve been here for years, and the whole thing is just ridiculous.” Salas is just one of many golfers who fear that Trump’s vision could turn the affordable public gathering spot into a sinfully expensive destination, inaccessible to regulars.
Currently, an 18-hole round at East Potomac costs a maximum of $48. That’s light-years away from the green fees paid at Trump’s private courses, where hundreds of dollars can easily be due. The notorious golf enthusiast Trump himself has branded the current state of East Potomac as “not fit for purpose.” “The current course is old, broken, dilapidated, and useless,” Trump said recently. “It’s in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and diseased trees and, very importantly, a collapsing and dangerous seawall.”
However, for Salas, the renovation – which will close the course from mid-November 2026 – also raises questions about Trump’s priorities, especially during times of international turmoil. “We’re in the middle of a war, and he’s trying to tinker with a golf course here?” Salas asked incredulously. “I mean, where is this man’s brain? His common sense?”
The Championship Course Nobody Wants
The idea of a championship-caliber golf course might sound appealing to some golfers. But for others, the biggest concern is what the transformation will mean for their wallets. Fidel Enrique Garcia Rendon, a 59-year-old Pilates studio owner, fears that the costs for the renovated course will be beyond his budget. “Unfortunately, if it goes to championship level, the fees will go from $22 to $250 or more, $350, who knows?” he predicted grimly. “I definitely won’t be able to come and play here anymore, because at that price, I can’t afford it.”
Retiree Tom Carmody shares his concerns, not only doubting the potential costs of the revamped course but also whether the project will even be completed. “It just makes me nervous, quite nervous,” Carmody admitted. “For one, his ability to pull it off. I mean, what w
