East Potomac Golf Links - White Course (District of Columbia)

East Potomac is one of the most energetic, enthusiastic places I’ve seen in my golf travels. The amount of people milling around, on the driving range, practicing their chipping and putting, playing the Blue course, or the nine hole White, or even the par three Red, is like a scene in my dreams where life revolves around golf. Set on the Potomac River, a lively waterfront mixes post round and mid round festivities, making this a cool hang out for any summer evening. 

Robert White designed the 2,943 yard par 34 White course in 1920. Its executive length attracts beginning and intermediate skilled golfers, however, its presentation makes it more interesting than most would admit. The greens are beautifully perched up a few feet above the fairway and are a good representation of what one would find over on the flat linksland of Scotland. The mounding breaks up the sight lines and the bunkering is artfully cut into the base of them. It is not a boring, drab nine holes that barely mimics golf but rather a simple straightforward design that demands quality shots to hit and hold the greens. I would even argue the short game chips and pitches are more challenging than what one finds on Walter Travis’ Blue course. 

(I like the clean look that distinctly differentiates the playing surfaces between fairway, rough, and primary rough. The hazards are clearly defined, a trait not always evident on municipal courses. This is the 285 yard par four fourth. Today’s pin is on the lower tier.) 

(The 247 yard par four fifth is the only hole where bunkers front the green. It’s a dogleg left from the tee with trees, a deep bunker, and mounds encouraging players to play out to the wide fairway right. Imagine a fifty yard pitch to the pin in the picture. Is that a shot a beginner, or even intermediate golfer, would have? 

Note the par three sixth green in the background and how proud it sits above the flat terrain.) 

(The 286 yard par four eighth has a green obscured  from view behind the bunker. Notice how the terrain on the sides of the putting surface catches shots, preventing them from advancing forward.) 

East Potomac prides itself on player development, pointing to all the amenities that encourage golfers to improve. Robert White’s design helps achieve this objective. If he can make a flat, nondescript piece of land interesting, then I’m curious to see how good his other work is. It’s no surprise that he is one of the founding members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. (First President of PGA of America 1916) (Designed the first putting green on the White House lawn) If you’re looking to play nine holes while in DC, the White course at East Potomac is a fine choice. I give a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(I had to make a trip to DC and found myself with some time to kill on a Friday night. I was paired with a threesome where two guys were teaching the third how to play. I lasted two holes before moving forward without them. They insisted and I didn’t hesitate. I played through three more groups and finished before dark. Sometimes it’s not easy being a single. I shot 37.)