National Links Trust

06/03/2026

We are excited to announce that our Free Lesson Friday program will be expanding outside of the Washington, DC area this summer and fall.

In partnership with The Outpost Foundation, events will be held in North Chesterfield, Virginia at the Tattersall Youth Development Center at the First Tee Chesterfield on July 10th, Brookline, Massachusetts at Brookline Golf Course on July 17th, and Greensboro, North Carolina at Gillespie Golf Course on September 18th, in addition to monthly events in Washington, DC.

The expansion of this program is instrumental to continuing to pursue our vision of being the national leader in municipal golf and how facilities can best impact their local communities. Having already hosted thousands of individuals at our events in Washington, DC, we are thrilled to introduce even more people to the game and municipal facilities through this program. Thank you to our friends at The Outpost Foundation for their partnership and to our community for their continued support of all of our work.

Learn more here: nationallinkstrust.org/free-lesson-friday

05/27/2026

Our first Free Lesson Friday of 2026 is this week!

Join us this Friday, May 29th from 5-7 PM at historic Langston Golf Course. This event will provide kids and adults with free introductory putting, chipping, and full swing instruction. Events like this ensure our facilities are welcoming and accessible, and we are excited to bring them to our community over the coming months. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

Register here: nationallinkstrust.org/free-lesson-friday

05/19/2026

A Note From Our Co-Founders:

When we began National Links Trust seven years ago, we could never have imagined where we would be today. Our community has propelled us to this point. While the last several months have been challenging, we are fortunate to be entering this next chapter. The coming months and years will define municipal golf in our nation’s capital, and we are excited for what lies ahead.

Today and every day, we remain committed to doing right by our community. That means being responsible stewards, keeping greens fees low, facilities accessible, and continuing to invest in improvement projects and community programs. In the coming weeks, the Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program and Free Lesson Friday programs will resume. Through initiatives like these, we can continue to use golf to positively impact our community and change lives. We are also looking forward to resuming our rehabilitation project at Rock Creek Park Golf, where the future, with the help of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, is as bright as ever. To do all of this, and more, we need you.

National Links Trust is now, and has only ever been, as strong as the community behind us. We still have a long way to go to accomplish our goals, but we are confident we can get there if we stay together.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

- Mike McCartin & Will Smith

05/09/2026

A note from our founders on tonight's news and our future involvement with Washington, DC's municipal golf courses.

03/30/2026

We are excited to announce a new partnership with Fescue & Dunes - a premium apparel ecommerce brand committed to connecting golfers to the courses they’ve played and loved. With this partnership, our community will be able to purchase National Links Trust branded-gear from some of the best brands in golf apparel with proceeds benefiting National Links Trust and our mission and work in Washington, DC and across the country.

Featured brands include B. Draddy, Zero Restriction, Straight Down, Johnnie-O, Imperial, Seamus Golf, Sun Mountain, and more.

Shop here: https://fescueanddunes.com/pages/clubs/national-links-trust

P.S. 2026 Capital Club members have access to an exclusive discount code. Join or renew today!

03/24/2026

The Hike is back!

Though our future in Washington, DC remains uncertain, our work protecting and promoting affordable, accessible municipal golf and using it to positively impact local communities and change lives continues. This year, we will create life-changing opportunities for local kids and teens with the Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program, introduce more people to the game through Free Lesson Friday, work with stakeholders across the country to continue elevating municipal golf in their communities, and continue advocating for the best possible outcomes for the courses in Washington, DC. All of this (and more!) is only possible with the backing of our community!

The Hike will play a key role in continuing this work, and we are looking for a few more people to join our team. This year’s event will take place on Tuesday, June 9th at Enterprise Golf Course in Mitchellville, Maryland.

If you’re interested in participating and playing a key role in the future of municipal golf in the greater Washington, DC area and across the country, tap the link below.

Learn more: nationallinkstrust.org/the-hike.

03/13/2026

Registration for Reversible Day on Friday, April 17th at East Potomac Golf Links is now open! This event provides our community with the once-a-year privilege of playing a 14-hole reversible routing inspired by Walter Travis’ original design.

Register: nationallinkstrust.org/reversible-day

03/10/2026

National Links Trust is excited to announce that the 2026 National Links Trust Championship Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will take place October 16–18 at Northwest Golf Course in Silver Spring, Maryland. The national championship, open exclusively to public-access male and female golfers aged 25 and older, moves to the 1964 Ed Ault design after three successful years at the Blue Course at East Potomac Golf Links. The event will once again feature 54 holes of stroke play, making it eligible for World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points and continuing to provide a national stage for elite public-course golfers.

Organized in partnership with the Amateur Golf Alliance and Anera Sports, the championship continues to grow as one of the premier opportunities for everyday public golfers to compete at the highest amateur level. Past champions and top amateurs from across the country are expected to return in 2026, with qualifiers at public facilities nationwide leading up to the championship. More information on qualifiers will be released soon. With an affordable entry fee and travel stipends for competitors, the event reflects National Links Trust’s commitment to accessibility and opportunity in competitive golf.

Read more:

The 2026 National Links Trust Championship Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will be held October 16–18 at Northwest Golf Course in Silver Spring, Maryland. Open to public-access amateur golfers age 25+, the 54-hole national championship features men’s and women’s divisions and is eligible ...

02/18/2026

We are thrilled to announce that Adriathan Crockwell of Hyattsville, MD, and Faris Smith of Bethesda, MD, have been awarded the prestigious Evans Scholarship by the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholars Foundation. Each received the full tuition and housing award, valued at more than $125,000 each over four years, through their participation in our Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program at Langston Golf Course. The scholarship recognizes caddies who demonstrate strong academics, character, financial need, and commitment.

Launched five years ago, the Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program provides paid employment, mentorship, and life skills training to local high school students through caddie and intern positions, reinforcing Langston’s long-standing role as a community anchor. National Links Trust partners with the Western Golf Association on the caddie component of the program.

“This is exactly why our work matters,” said Damian Cosby, PGA, Executive Director of National Links Trust and a WGA Director. “Adriathan and Faris represent the very best of our Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program. Watching them grow as students, leaders, and young professionals has been incredibly rewarding, and we could not be prouder of this life-changing achievement.”

Read more here: nationallinkstrust.org/vardaman-program-caddies-awarded-evans-scholarships

01/20/2026

We are excited to share that National Links Trust is partnering with the Friends of the Port Townsend Golf Park (Camas Prairie Park Port Townsend) in Port Townsend, Washington, to help shape the next chapter of the historic Camas Prairie Park.

Located 80 miles north of Tacoma, Camas Prairie Park, formerly the Port Townsend Golf Club, is a multi-use facility anchored by a historic nine-hole golf course opened in 1904. The property also includes a driving range, disc golf course, restaurant and meeting space, public access trails, and a nature preserve making it a true community gathering place. The Friends of the Port Townsend Golf Park, a nonprofit that shares National Links Trust’s belief in accessible and affordable municipal golf, first secured a lease to manage the property in 2023. After two successful years of stewardship, that lease was extended for 20 years in late 2025.

National Links Trust will play a central role in shaping the future of the property over the next two decades. Our co-founder, Mike McCartin, will lead the development of a master use plan to ensure the property remains accessible, affordable, architecturally engaging, and environmentally sustainable. With the support of a $250,000 grant from a family foundation, McCartin and National Links Trust will also design and build a community putting course inspired by the famous Himalayas at St. Andrews in Scotland.

This partnership is an exciting step in expanding our work nationally and advancing our mission to protect and promote community-focused municipal golf across the country. We are grateful to the Friends of the Port Townsend Golf Park for their partnership and support.

Learn more about Camas Prairie Park here: ptgolfpark.org