President Donald Trump says he’s enlisting the help of legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus to spruce up the courses at Joint Base Andrews — adding a site long known as the “president’s golf course” to his long and still-growing list of construction projects.
The president took an aerial tour of the Courses at Andrews aboard Marine One on Saturday, and promised, “We’re going to do some work” there, as well as to other parts of the base.
“We’re doing some fix-up of the base, which it needs. We’re gonna try and reinstitute the golf courses. I’m meeting with the greatest Jack Nicklaus,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before boarding Marine One to head to Andrews. “He’s involved in trying to bring their recreational facility back.”
Located in Maryland, about 15 miles (24.14 kilometers) from the White House, Andrews houses Air Force One. Gerald R. Ford was the first president to golf there in 1974, but the facility was most recently a favorite of Barack Obama.
An 11th Force Support Squadron asset, the facilities include three 18-hole golf courses, three practice putting greens, two private practice areas and a driving range, according to the Andrews website. Trump said at least two of the courses could get facelifts.
Trump has infrequently golfed at Andrews, but prefers to spend most weekends playing at or near one of his own properties. Those are Bedminster in New Jersey, or Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. On those weekends he remains at the White House, Trump often golfs at his course in Sterling, Virginia, near Dulles International Airport.
Nicklaus won 18 professional majors and 73 times on the PGA Tour. The Nicklaus Design firm features a team that has completed more than 425 courses in 40 states and more than 45 countries.
Trump said Saturday that the base at Andrews “was a great place that’s been destroyed over the years through lack of maintenance.”
“So we’ll fix that up, and Jack will be the architect and he’ll design it,” the president said.
He also referenced, “Two existing courses that are in very bad shape” saying, “we can — for very little money — fix it up.”
“And we’re looking at other things over at Andrews,’ Trump added.
Trump’s comments immediately raised questions about who is paying Nicklaus, and how much such design services might cost. Also, given that Andrews is military property, who pays for improvements to its golf courses or other parts of its grounds was also unclear. Andrews deferred queries on the matter to the White House, which didn’t respond to a request for more details.
The potential Andrews redesign follows construction crews already having demolished the East Wing of the White House to make room for a $300 million ballroom that Trump commissioned. He’s promised that it is being paid for by himself and private donors — including 37 individuals, firms and charitable organizations that have publicly disclosed contributing to the project.
Work on the ballroom follows Trump having replaced the lawn in the Rose Garden with a patio area reminiscent of Mar-a-Lago, and redecorated the Lincoln Bathroom and Palm Room in the White House’s interior. The president also installed a Walk of Fame featuring portraits of past presidents along the Colonnade, massive flagpoles on the north and south lawns and substantially overhauled the Oval Office through the addition of golden flourishes, cherubs and other, flashy items.
The work at Andrews may eventually join another off-White House site projects Trump has announced publicly: his plan to erect a Paris-style arch just west of the Lincoln Memorial.