For junior golfer Faris Smith, the public courses in D.C. have become like a second home.

She’s been caddying at the Langston golf course for four years now.

“My first ever golf lesson was at Rock Creek, where I truly did fall in love with the game,” Smith said.

Smith says when she heard the Trump administration could be moving to take over the courses,
she worried about what that could mean.

“It’s not just about who’s cutting the grass, or the financial part,” Smith said. “It’s about the programs that are funneled through these courses and the opportunities for youth and the community at large.”

The three public courses in D.C. are East Potomac Golf Links, the Langston Golf Course and Rock Creek Park Golf.

The nonprofit National Links Trust has been in charge of managing the courses and had a 50-year lease agreement with the federal government, but the Trump administration is ending the lease after just five years, saying in a statement, “The Trump administration prides itself on getting the job done for the American people and partnering with others who share that same goal.”

“It’s heartbreaking to see that a lot of our efforts and being stewards of these properties could come to an end,” said Damian Cosby, the executive director of the National Links Trust.

He says making golf affordable was one of their top priorities.

“Golf should not only be accessible to people that make six figures or that are members of a private club,” Cosby said. “It should be accessible to anyone.”

The Trump administration is accusing the National Links Trust of breaking the terms of its lease by not fixing up the courses or paying rent in certain years. But the trust is firing back, saying they’ve spent more than $8 million fixing the courses and that they’ve “consistently complied with all lease obligations.”

At the Rock Creek Park Golf Course, there was a big renovation project going on. The National Links Trust says getting all the permits in order took five years, but now they’ve had to stop all construction.

As for Smith, she was hoping to apply for a full college scholarship for caddies who have financial need. But if the new golf course management gets rid of the caddy program at Langston, she will no longer qualify for the scholarship.

“To not receive it would truly break my heart given all the work I have put in and given all that my family has sacrificed,” Smith said. “I have sacrificed.”