East Potomac may very well be the epicenter of the municipal golf course renovation movement that seems to be catching fire. Granted Bethpage, Torrey Pines, and Harding Park have all been updated but they held a major championship. This would be the first regular joe course to be taken back to its roots. National Links Trust just got a long term contract to manage DC’s three munis, and the talk is Tom Doak will donate his time and skills and bring East Potomac back to its former glory.
(The Washington Monument is the aiming point on several holes including the 210/196 yard par three eighth.)
(The Jefferson Memorial backdrops the deceiving 191/167 yard par three eleventh.)
East Potomac sits in the middle of the river on an island, and it was designed to showcase how excellent municipal golf could be. Walter Travis was selected as architect and in 1923 he designed a reversible golf course. Both nines can be played backwards, and the playing corridors can be attacked in both directions. This is such a cool concept and if Doak can bring this reversible course back to life, it would change the municipal landscape forever. There’s already talk that if this business model works then cities around the country could apply their own forward thinking plans to renovate their municipal courses. (Could you imagine Akron Goodpark getting a facelift?! Wow that would be awesome!)
(The 308/297 yard par four seventh displays the flat terrain and parkland features of East Potomac.)
I made the five hour trip specifically to see East Potomac before the renovation. Most of the issues it has relates to drainage, or lack thereof, and it’ll be interesting to see how the problem is solved. I read they may bring in dirt, and raise the course by three feet, giving the flat terrain contouring while moving the water to drainage drains. The other suggestion was putting in canals. Talking to my playing partners who were regulars, the second option was their choice because they felt the course needed more challenges, and driving over canals would do that.
(East Potomac is more than just golf. Note the umbrellas and the cornhole setups in the grass. It’s a well used green space in the heart of DC.)
If nothing changes, I still feel East Potomac is an experience worth seeking out. It is so wonderfully connected to the city and within the same park as all the great national monuments that define our country. One can walk or bike all day, and cap it off with a round of golf under the Washington Monument. I don’t want to oversell the course. Its current iteration is average, but it’s such an inspirational setting that any drawbacks are offset. The facility has two nine hole courses, the White and Red. The White is beginner friendly but the Red is specifically geared to families with young kids. The driving range is a double decker wooden affair that is outdated and worn out. How much these three additional amenities are affected by the renovation remains to be seen. If you’re ever in DC, this is a terrific opportunity to see golf for what it truly is… a chance to connect with nature and mingle with friends in a great setting. I’ll refrain from giving a rating til after Doak completes the work.
[I played the white tees with a couple young men from DC who had the golf bug that I recall having when I was their age. It was a beautiful late winter day, and from the pictures you’ll see the entire course was in the dormant grass stage. This made the golf a bit more difficult, but I was more than happy to take the sunshine in. It was not my best day of golf, but still a solid score for rusty swing.]
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