National Links Trust

This summer, we followed the Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program interns and caddies to hear their stories and see the program’s impact firsthand at historic Langston Golf Course. What we discovered was more than a summer program — it’s a transformative experience that fosters essential life skills, builds lasting friendships and mentorships, and opens doors to college scholarships and beyond. Today, we’re excited to share with you a short video showcasing the program. Thank you to the Southern Company Foundation, GolfNow, Citi, the Heinz Family Foundation, Ashworth Golf, COBRA PUMA GOLF, and the rest of our community for their support of the Vardaman Program.

Today, we are excited to share that Seth Waugh former CEO and Current Senior Advisor to the PGA of America, will serve as Honorary Chairman of the "Nation’s Capital Project" - our long-term project that seeks to revitalize and rehabilitate Washington, DC’s three historic municipal golf courses, Rock Creek Park Golf, Langston Golf Course, and East Potomac Golf Links. In his role, Waugh will be an advisor to the Capital Campaign committee and serve as an ambassador of National Links Trust. “National Links Trust’s work aligns closely with my personal and professional dedication to helping make golf more inclusive and accessible,” Waugh says. “This project, undertaken on the national stage, works towards this goal of making sure golf is a game for everyone.” Waugh served as the CEO of the PGA of America for six years from 2018 through June of this year. During his time, he oversaw a number of consequential decisions including moving the organization’s headquarters to Frisco, TX and executing a wide-reaching public-private partnership in the process, leading a $100 million capital campaign for the PGA REACH Foundation, establishing a nearly $8 million Golf Emergency Relief Fund in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and engineering the organization’s first deferred compensation retirement plan for members. A staunch advocate for equity and access to the game, Waugh also advanced inclusionary practices from the PGA of America to grow the game of golf by launching "PGA Places to Play" which provided community access to underserved populations and helped raise over $35 million in support of projects nationwide, starting with $1.75 million in grants. As it relates specifically to community-focused municipal golf facilities, Waugh was instrumental in the revitalization of The Park-West Palm, the highly acclaimed Gil Hanse - Jim Wagner renovated facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. “We are honored and excited to have Mr. Waugh as part of our campaign,” Damian Cosby, Executive Director of NLT, says. “As a Class-A PGA Professional, I have seen first-hand what his leadership can do for an organization and what he has done for the game as a whole, and we are eager to bring his expertise to NLT.” Read more about this exciting news here: https://lnkd.in/gPxT2HQr

A few weeks back, the New England Public Golf Forum was hosted at South Shore Country Club in Hingham, Massachusetts. The event was developed through a unique collaboration between Mass Golf and National Links Trust. The forum was attended by well over 100 industry professionals, and helped to educate and connect public and municipal golf stakeholders from around New England. Watch Event Recap:

This week, the NLT team headed north to co-host the New England Public Golf Forum with Mass Golf at South Shore Country Club, a municipal facility in Hingham, MA. This event was the first of its kind for NLT, taking the educational and networking elements from our national Symposium on Municipal Golf, and condensing it down to a one-day event in partnership with a state golf association. We hope to do more of these in the future. Thank you to our panelists and attendees for joining us for the event. We were happy to have more than 100 stakeholders from around New England and the country connect and discuss the current status and future of municipal and public golf in the northeast. Highlights of the day included a ‘State of New England Public Golf’ panel with leadership from Mass Golf and the New England PGA, a panel on player development featuring representatives from Fore the Ladies, Inc., First Tee - Massachusetts, Youth on Course, and Girls Gone Clubbin', and an interesting discussion on course architecture with Mark Mungeam, ASGCA, Robert McNeil, ASGCA, and our own Michael McCartin In addition to the event, the NLT team also had the opportunity to check out?the full facility at South Shore including a bowling alley and the sporty Wayne Stiles-designed course. The course, routed over rolling terrain with a smattering of bold features and interesting greens, has been slowly restored thanks to the dedication of course superintendent, Jake Silva. Thank you again to Mass Golf for helping make this event such a success, and to the New England municipal and public golf community for welcoming us!

We're excited to be hosting the New England Public Golf Forum in October alongside our friends at Mass Golf. This event builds on our Symposium on Municipal Golf and will offer in-depth discussions on the state of the public and municipal golf industry in New England. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/d7huWmr5

Women Golfers & Business Leaders Convene at East Potomac Founders Bank hosted another Founders Series Event exclusively for women featuring a complementary golf lesson using Toptracer Range technology, networking and an opportunity to hear from Matthew Shank and Damian Cosby, PGA about National Links Trust. National Links Trust’s first project is focused on the rehabilitation of the municipal golf facilities in our nation’s capital: East Potomac Golf Links, Langston Golf Course, and Rock Creek Park Golf.?Ana Morales Huong Song #BuildingStrongerCommunities #WorkHardPlayHard #FoundersSeries

We're excited to share that National Links Trust was selected as a recipient of an LPGA Legacy?Initiative grant in conjunction with this year's Solheim Cup. This grant will support our initiatives aimed at introducing golf to individuals of all different backgrounds in our community. “National Links Trust shares in the LPGA's vision of a more inclusive, diverse future for the game of golf, and thanks to their support, we are working towards that goal in our nation's capital,” says Damian Cosby, PGA, NLT Executive Director about the grant. “Thanks to the LPGA, we have continued expanding initiatives that introduce women and girls to golf, such as our Free Lesson Friday series and our introduction to golf clinics. We have been happy to see so many women and girls attend these events. We have found that 80% of participants in our introductory programs are women! We all know how valuable this game is, and to share it with those who otherwise might not have access to it is incredibly rewarding. The support of partners like the LPGA makes this possible." Thank you to the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) for their support! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gQNysv3E.

My first project as the Archives and Curatorial Intern for Langston Golf Course through the National Links Trust is now underway. ?? National Links Trust (NLT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to positively impacting our community and changing lives through affordable and accessible municipal golf. At NLT, we're not only building a digital archive from materials held in the collections of other local archives but also working to collect new primary sources and preserve untold stories. One way we're doing this is by inviting community members to look through their photo albums for any images related to Langston Golf Course. If you find any, please schedule a scanning session so we can record them in our database. Relevant images include, but aren't limited to, those of Langston Golf Course, Royals Golf Club, Wake-Robin Golf Club, Lee Elder, Rose Harper, The Pro Shop, John Mercer Langston, and general Black golf in Washington, D.C. Please share this with any Washingtonians you know who might have something valuable tucked away at home. Schedule a scanning session here: https://lnkd.in/eauKcD5S

In case you missed it, Rock Creek Park Golf Course has a few new temporary staff members. We have hired a herd of goats and sheep from RVA Goats in Richmond, VA to eat an acre of invasive vegetation adjacent to the 12th teeing area on the 5-hole loop. This project, led by our Director of Sustainability, Andrew Szunyog, is one of many steps in our long-term rehabilitation plan for managing invasive vegetation on the golf course and establishing healthy ecosystems for the betterment of all. Thanks to Dave Leval of DC News Now for coming out to the course to cover the story. Watch the full feature below.

On Monday, we held the fourth annual Langston’s Axe Golf Tournament at historic Langston Golf Course. This event not only supports our mission to positively impact our community and change lives through affordable and accessible municipal golf, but also honors the course’s rich history and vibrant community. This year’s fourth annual winners are Tommy McCloskey, Matt Palm, Will Smith, and Brad Whitaker! A special thanks to our sponsors: Washington Commanders, Palm Facility Services, Troon, National Capital Bank, and Sport Automotive. We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated, helping us celebrate and support the ongoing rehabilitation of Langston for future generations.