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WASHINGTON — Unless a federal judge intervenes, President Donald Trump has said the administration will break ground on Sept.1 for what the Department of the Interior is calling a new “world-class” golf course only a mile from the White House South Lawn.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It would feature beautiful sight lines, ranging from the Potomac River to the Washington Monument, and is already landscaped with historic cherry trees, an iconic gift from the government of Japan.The only problem? It would replace a century-old municipal golf course accessible to beginners and Sunday duffers alike, on land belonging to the National Park Service, frequented by bicyclists, picnickers, anglers and others who cherish Washington’s historic green spaces.Golfers practicing chip shots on a sunny Thursday afternoon were already mourning the loss of the inexpensive and accessible public links.Cesar Romero told NBC News the municipal course was “for people who’ve been doing it for more than a year, people who do it for more than 10 years.
The courses are dynamic, they’re diverse.… Right now we’re playing nine holes for about $28, and that, for a golf course, if you look around, is really a great price.”Bicyclist Joanne Gribler stopped to tell NBC News: “I moved here 10 years ago, and I come down here easily two to five times a week.
Either riding my bike, running, having a picnic.This is really a big part of my life, a big part of why I choose to continue living in D.C.”“There are world championship golf courses in the area.
We don’t need another one right here in D.C.,” she added.The East Potomac Golf Links sit along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.Daniel Heuer / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesElizabeth Kiker, executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, questioned the lack of information about the White House’s plans for the course.
“We love the space an...