'Trash Island' or DC landmark? Golfers weigh in on Trump's plans to overhaul course

For Jourdain Yardan, golfing at the East Potomac Golf Links on Washington DC's waterfront is a twice-weekly ritual.

"Anyone from any walk of life, whether they're starting to play golf or whether they're a ... seasoned golfer, they can come out here and play golf at a pretty reasonable rate," the 35-year-old told the BBC while putting on the course on Monday.

But President Donald Trump does not seem convinced of its charms, calling the 106-year-old course "Trash Island" Monday evening on Truth Social.

Now, he intends to shut it down for renovations to create a space that "will be open to the Public while, at the same time, designed to the Highest Level of Golf and able to hold World Class Tournaments".

The renovation is part of the president's sprawling and controversial efforts to shape the US capital, which include a new White House ballroom, a 250-foot-tall arch and other changes to longstanding landmarks. The golf course is a smaller project, but deeply personal to many who live in the city.

Yardan described a potential shuttering, even if temporary, as a "huge dent" in DC culture that could change the heart of the space.

Trump, an avid golfer and owner of more than a dozen courses, says his vision for the course will make it "one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World".

But courts will need to mediate the dispute between the White House and the community before Trump can realize his plans.

The historic course, which sits 2 miles (3km) south of the White House, is one of three public courses run by the National Park Service in the nation's capital. A lawsuit from the DC Preservation League and two golfers from the course asks the court to stop Trump's planned renovation.

"Our litigation is intended to protect this community jewel for the people and communities it serves," Democracy Forward, the group representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement on social media.

The legal fight intensified this month after the government began large-scale tree removal on the course without giving the court or plaintiffs notice.

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop its redevelopment plans until at least 26 October.

Despite the work stoppage, Trump took to social media on Sunday to announce that the course will be closed for 15-months beginning in November to accommodate the renovations. He also shared a rendering of the course redesign.

"The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect. It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and disease-infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall," Trump wrote in his post on Sunday.

While golfer Thomas Snow, who is not part of the suit, conceded the course could use a "facelift", he thinks the president's description of the course is a "gross overstatement".

Currently, East Potomac does not offer the manicured experience one might find at the luxury, private golf courses the president is known for building. The public course is open to all and does not require a membership to access.

The facilities at the DC course are more modest, offering food court-style dining rather than amenities such as white tablecloth restaurants and upscale locker rooms.

Golfers like Snow and Yardan who regularly play the courses at East Potomac, told the BBC it offers a rare combination of affordability and proximity to the city.

"You start to clear everything out and it just starts to become an empty plot of land that you just hit golf balls on; I think it gets rid of the culture of the golf course," Yardan said.

As a 70-year-old golfer, Snow pays $29 (£21.65) for 18 holes when he visits East Potomac.

"There's no place in the whole DMV (the metropolitan region including DC and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs) that you can play a nice 18 holes for that price point," he said.

Snow worries that if Trump's proposal moves forward, people will be priced out.

Yardan, the twice-weekly golfer, echoed those concerns.

"Anytime you hear about big league, big golfers, that also includes big prices," he said. "The biggest thing that I like about this golf course .. is that it's affordable," he said.