Frequently Asked Questions

The Nation’s Capital Project is NLT’s upcoming rehabilitation project of Washington, DC’s three public golf courses – Rock Creek Park Golf, Langston Golf Course, and East Potomac Golf Links. In October 2020, we signed a 50-year lease with the National Park Service to operate and rehabilitate these courses, and in the years since we have made steady progress towards our goals. Ultimately, we believe these properties are special places both in the city and in the greater world of golf – each with a unique and powerful history, offering affordable access to recreation and welcoming, inclusive environments. We are honored to be stewards of these important community assets.

Currently, NLT is working our way through the planning and permitting process alongside the National Park Service and other related government agencies. This process is lengthy and in-depth, but paves the way for a successful future for all of our properties. The first project that is being tackled is at Rock Creek Park Golf.

As of April 2024, we are planning to break ground on Rock Creek in late fall of 2024. Learn more here.

Private individual and corporate philanthropy is vital to these projects as we seek to keep the facilities accessible and affordable for everyone in our community. Currently, we are actively fundraising and, in order for these projects to be successful, we will need the help of as many stakeholders as possible in our community.

Additionally we are looking at a number of financing options including one made available from, the DC government through their industrial revenue bonds (IRB) program for non-profit organizations. The IRB program provides access to tax-exempt financing to help businesses and non-profit organizations renovate existing assets, build new construction, make tenant improvements, and obtain capital by securing interest rates up to 4% lower than a traditional commercial loan at zero cost to taxpayers. NLT qualifies for the IRB program as we seek financing for our projects. This funding will not be coming from the city directly. This is just one of a number of possible financing sources for our proposed rehabilitation projects.

We are incredibly lucky to have partnered with three of the game’s most prominent architects. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner will provide be working at Rock Creek Park Golf, Beau Welling will be guiding the process of Langston Golf Course, and Tom Doak will oversee the work at East Potomac Golf Links.

At its heart, NLT is a community-driven organization that believes we can change lives through golf. We operate a number of initiatives aimed at engaging the local community. The most noteworthy is the Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program – an internship and caddie program held at the historic Langston Golf Course that provides adolescents and young adults in the local community with valuable job and life skills they need for future academic and employment success.

To engage directly with families who may not play golf, NLT hosts ‘Friday on the Green’ events through the spring, summer, and fall at our courses. These free events provide family activities and are open to anyone in our community.

Additionally, NLT has partnered with local environmental organizations like the Anacostia Watershed Society and Rock Creek Conservancy to undertake sustainability projects. These projects include trash removal at our golf courses, invasive vegetation removal to benefit the local ecosystem, and fresh water mussel releases in the Anacostia River to help in naturally filtering the water.

Nationally, NLT seeks to be a leader in the municipal golf space by hosting educational programming and connecting stakeholders from around the country. NLT hosts the Symposium on Municipal Golf, a series of panel discussions and networking events in Washington, DC that bring together a wide variety of industry leaders to share best practices in the municipal space. Starting in 2023, NLT created the National Links Trust Championship – a mid-amateur national championship for men’s and women’s public golfers. Qualifiers are held throughout the year and the championship proper is held at East Potomac Golf Links’ historic Blue Course.

You can get involved with NLT in a number of ways:

• Join Capital Club - our annual giving program

• Grab NLT gear at ShopNLT.com – 100% of proceeds benefit our mission

• Follow us on Twitter (@links_national), Instagram (@nationallinkstrust), and Facebook (@nationallinkstrust) and make sure to retweet, like, and share our posts

• Sign up to volunteer

• Make a tax-deductible contribution

• Double your donation if your company offers an employee match program.