Location: Washington, District of Columbia
History: With the intention of building the finest municipal course in the country, Walter Travis designed the first 9 holes at East Potomac Park in 1920. This reversible set of holes was so popular that soon he returned and completed a second reversible nine in 1923. This course opened to widespread acclaim and hosted the 1923 U.S. Public Links Championship in just the second year of the tournament’s history. To keep up with demand, a third reversible nine opened in 1925 designed by William Flynn and a par 3 course and miniature golf course soon followed. Today, the complex remains 36 holes, with the Travis 18 known as the Blue Course, the Flynn 9 the White Course, and the par 3 known as the Red Course.
After almost a century of municipal ownership, East Potomac Park had lost some of its luster and National Links Trust signed a 50-year agreement with the city to renovate and operate the course. One of the highlights of their ownership was “Reversible Day” in which you could play the course in reversible fashion as Travis intended. President Donald Trump abruptly ended the agreement with NLT in 2025 and plans to close East Potomac Park and build a brand new, championship-style Tom Fazio design in its place.
Conditions: 5/10, East Potomac was in below average condition when I played with many barren spots in the fairways and teeboxes and slower greens. I can only imagine it is worse now.
Value: 6/10, East Potomac Blue won’t break the bank, with rates between $42 and $48 with discounts for seniors and juniors.
Scorecard:
Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 72 6599 70.5 115
White 72 6226 68.7 111
Gold 72 5706 66.1 104
Red 72 5203 68.6 109
Green 72 4638 N/A N/A
Hole Descriptions: At the time of writing this review, East Potomac’s future is murky at best with the agreement with National Links Trust terminated and President Trump dead set on transforming the property into an upscale major championship layout. Given the current political climate, East Potomac Park has gotten a lot of publicity recently and many people are extremely upset about the situation given the fact that Trump is involved. I never want my blogs to be political and intend to evaluate the Blue Course as it was when I played under NLT ownership in 2025.
East Potomac Park sits on a narrow, crescent-shaped island in the middle of the Potomac River just outside of downtown Washington D.C. on extremely flat terrain. The course has a lot of great history with a supposedly fantastic reversible design from Walter Travis, but in looking at aerials, it seems a lot of the Travis features have been lost over the years. This is especially true of the bunkering and greens, which looked spectacular in a 1927 aerial, but are quite dull these days. In all honesty, today’s Blue Course is your stereotypical municipal golf course, with a flat terrain, below-average conditioning, and pretty boring features. The setting with water on three sides and views of national monuments is memorable, but the course itself is fairly forgettable. With regards to Trump’s plans for East Potomac Park, I think two things can be true. On one hand, it would be a shame that D.C. residents would lose access to a historic, affordable, truly municipal course. But on another, NLT has done almost nothing in almost 6 years of ownership and the course is in dire need of a renovation. Trump always does a very nice job with his courses, but I would’ve preferred him to hire an architect such as Gil Hanse to restore the course using Travis’ original design, instead of a brand new Fazio course which I’m sure will feature waterfalls and cost well over $250 to play. It will be very interesting to see how this situation unfolds in the coming years.
The Blue Course eases you into your round with a gentle opener in a 360 yard par 4. With trees down the left, this hole features a fairly generous fairway that slides around a tall right tree. This bunkerless green sits off to the right and slopes slightly back-to-front.
The 2nd hole continues in the same direction as a longer par 4 at 418 yards. With the teebox set off in the back right corner, this hole features a very wide fairway with little danger. There are a few bunkers down the left around 350 yards, but these aren’t really in play unless you hit a terrible shot somewhere along the way. This green is one of the most interesting on the course, stretching very long with lots of internal undulations and a bunker left.
At 596 yards, the 3rd is by far the longest hole on the course and a true three-shot par 5. From a slightly raised teebox, this hole plays as a mild dogleg right with a generous landing area lined by trees down the right and thick rough on the the left the entire way. This green is flatter and defended by bunkers left, long, and right.
The 4th hole is the shortest of East Potomac’s par threes playing on level terrain at 169 yards. With barrier bunkers short on either side, this hole features a circular, subtle green.
East Potomac is routed with two figure-of-eight nines and the 5th hole begins your march back to the clubhouse as a short 291 yard par 4. The golfer is given options here as this green is readily reachable and open up front but bunkers begin down either side at about 240 yards, tightening the fairway. The most prudent play is a lay-up off the tee, leaving a wedge into a small, back-to-front sloped green.
The 6th hole runs along the edge of the property, with Ohio Drive and the Potomac River down the right the entire way. This is another long par 5 at 558 yards but features plenty of room down the left and little danger otherwise. The hole culminates with a wide, flat green that’s open up front.
The 7th hole is another short par 4 at 308 yards, but plays as a dogleg left through a tight corridor of trees, placing a premium to accuracy. Unless you can hit a high draw around the trees, you’ll likely want to lay-up short of a large right bunker around 215 yards. This green is slightly raised and slopes severely back-to-front.
The 8th hole sits in an open field as the longest par 3 on the course at 210 yards. This back-to-front sloped green is defended by bunkers short on either side and requires a well-struck long-iron or wood.
The front 9 closes with a straightaway, tree-lined 356 yard par 4. Two poorly placed bunkers are found about 40 yards short on either side of this back-to-front sloped green.
At 311 yards on the scorecard, the 10th is another shorter par 4 and perhaps the easiest hole on the course. Although the green is tucked off to the left behind a few trees, this hole essentially plays in an open field with no danger or any real penalty for hitting a wayward teeshot. The green is large and flat, providing an excellent opportunity for birdie.
The 11th hole is another longer par 3 playing at 191 yards over extremely flat terrain. This subtle putting surface is defended by a bunker short left and a large weeping willow long.
The 12th through 14th represent some of the toughest holes on the course and run in succession along the Potomac River. The 12th is a 499 yard par 5 that begins with a tight teeshot between trees to a dogleg right fairway that bends to the right around 275 yards. The remainder of the fairway plays straight towards a skinny green defended by a bunker right and a mound to the left that will carom balls onto the surface. This putting surface likely has some remnants from Walter Travis with a distinctive mound on its right side.
The 371 yard 13th hole features a similar awkward teeshot as another dogleg right to a narrow fairway lined by mounds of rough and trees down either side. This circular green slopes slightly back-to-front.
At 410 yards, the par 4 14th is the stoutest of the three riverfront holes and again plays as a slight dogleg right along the water. While the trees aren’t quite as claustrophobic here, the fairway is on the narrower side and lined by mounds of rough and fescue. This small green is also surrounded by mounds of rough and features some nice movement with a back right hump.
The 15th hole turns back towards the clubhouse as the final par 3 on the course at 174 yards. This is a fairly boring hole with a flat putting surface open up front but lined by a large bunker long and overhanging trees down the left.
The 16th hole is the longest and most difficult par 4 at East Potomac Park playing straightaway at 432 yards. Tall trees really encroach down either side of this tight fairway, but beautifully frame the Washington Monument, making this one of the most memorable holes on the course. This raised green is exceedingly small and narrow for a hole of this length, with deep bunkers left.
At 563 yards, the 17th is another long hole that plays as a dogleg to a fairway angled to the left. A high draw around the trees is the preferred ballflight to find a generous fairway. It would take two behemoth shots to reach this wide, elevated green in two. Like some other holes on this side, the green contains a right plateau.
The Blue Course closes with a fairly boring 393 yard par 4 featuring a generous fairway lined by some trees down the right. This green slopes slightly back-to-front with a bunker on the right.
General Comments: While a large golf complex with 36 holes, East Potomac is a decidedly low-frills affair with a small, basic clubhouse and practice green near the 1st tee. There is a large driving range at the facility which is probably always packed given the proximity to downtown. The Blue Course sits on very flat ground and is an ideal walking course. Pace of play can be quite slow as the course is usually very busy.
Verdict: A course currently mired in controversy, Washington’s D.C.’s East Potomac Park is a historic municipal complex with a unique setting and awesome views of the D.C. monuments. The course itself is flat, boring, and very average and could definitely benefit from a facelift. With Trump’s involvement, it will fascinating to see how this situation unfolds in the coming years.