TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The East Potomac Miniature Golf Course, America’s oldest continuously operating miniature golf course, and the only outdoor miniature golf course in Washington, D.C., was recently restored to much of its original 1931 splendor by Adventure Golf & Sports (AGS) and will be re-opening this summer. “We were very pleased to have been selected by National Links Trust to rehabilitate this course,” said Scott Lundmark, President of AGS. “This course is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and required exceptional attention to detail.”

National Links Trust (NLT), a non-profit organization dedicated to positively impacting the Washington, DC community and changing lives through affordable and accessible municipal golf, was chosen by the National Park Service (NPS) in 2020 to rehabilitate and operate three Washington, D.C. public golf courses: East Potomac Golf Links, Langston Golf Course and Rock Creek Park Golf. “We are fortunate to have a strong partnership with the NPS and a shared vision for the future of municipal golf in our nation’s capital,” says Clark Pastrick, Director of Capital Projects for the NLT. “Our goal is to keep municipal golf accessible and affordable while improving the facilities to make them true community assets. This project plays an important role in that.”

While transforming the course into a welcoming, affordable community hub, NLT also approached the project with historical accuracy at the forefront of their plans. Luckily for NLT and AGS, there were a number of images and news articles that helped inform the restoration process. They were also supported by the NPS who provided additional knowledge throughout planning, design, and construction. 

For example, a couple of holes that had been re-routed over the years were restored to the original flow of play. Noteworthy restored features include replicas of the White House, Mount Vernon, and the Capitol Building which serve as obstacles, in addition to a wishing well, loop-de-loop, and “Marshmallow Man” obstacle. All of these features had long been lost or had significantly deteriorated over the last several decades. AGS, NLT, and the NPS worked collaboratively and with third-party companies to reproduce and restore these features.

“Being able to restore so many historic elements to the course has been exciting,” Pastrick says. “We were fortunate to have a wealth of resources that were crucial to building and installing the various features with an extremely high degree of accuracy.”

Equally as important as restoring historic features to the course, was improving playability. Over the last several decades, the course suffered from deferred maintenance. Turf was torn and worn down, brick and concrete were chipped and cracked throughout the course, and drop pipes were obstructed causing golf balls to get stuck. NLT and AGS addressed these issues by removing all the existing turf and replacing it, repairing cracks underneath playing surfaces, and installing new drop pipes. For historic stonework, NPS provided certified masons to make repairs.

What will result from the project, Pastrick says, is a course that is fun for all ages. “It is on a pretty large site and the holes are very large providing ample opportunity for people to putt the ball through and around obstacles. It is actually pretty difficult as far as miniature golf courses go, with a few par threes and fours, but we think it will still appeal to everyone from experienced golfers who are taking their family out for a fun activity, to those who may never have touched a golf club before. With a location right next to ‘The Wharf’ (a mile-long development along the Potomac River with restaurants, retailers, residences, and businesses), and our plans for food and beverage, we think we have a really unique opportunity on our hands. This would not have been possible without the partnership of AGS.”

AGS began work on the project in the early spring, persevering through cool and rainy weather that at times made work challenging. Despite this, they completed their work on schedule, allowing grading, drainage, and other sitework to commence in early summer. An exact reopening date has not been determined, but is expected to be in late summer of this year.

AGS’ diligent work was instrumental to keeping the project moving throughout the entirety of the process Pastrick shares. “From the beginning, we felt AGS really understood the historical integrity of the course and our goals. They had a great plan of attack and relevant experience, and we are extremely happy to have chosen them for this project. Working alongside the NPS requires significant documentation and following exact processes, and AGS has been able to provide everything we asked for from a schematic design perspective and a design layout. They have a great team and have done exemplary work. We cannot wait to reopen the course and welcome our community back to play and experience all it has to offer.”

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