Trump, Maryland governor clash over golf course renovation at Andrews

The fight over a golf course at Joint Base Andrews is bigger than a turf job. It puts a military installation, a presidential hangout and a private-name redesign at the center of a dispute over public assets, procurement and the bitter Trump-Moore relationship.

Donald Trump announced in November 2025 that he was bringing in Jack Nicklaus to redesign the base’s golf facilities, saying Andrews was in poor shape and that at least two of the installation’s three 18-hole courses could get facelifts. Trump said the work could be done “for very little money” and noted that Joint Base Andrews sits about 15 miles from the White House. The Andrews golf complex also includes three practice putting greens, two private practice areas and a driving range.

The project landed in a place already shaped by presidential needs. Joint Base Andrews cut its golf layout from 54 holes to 45 holes starting in November 2018 because of construction tied to the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization Project. That history made the base a site where recreation, national security and executive travel have long overlapped, with the installation still supporting executive airlift for national leaders and remaining home to the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program.

Trump escalated the dispute on June 6, saying Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had “put a halt” to the work and casting the delay as a burden on the Air Force, military personnel and wounded warriors who would use the course. The project has been publicly linked to wounded warriors, with Trump saying the improvements would help them play golf closer to the base.

Moore’s office rejected the claim that Maryland had stopped the work. The office said the state was waiting on Air Force permit applications and that the delay could push a June 2026 start. The governor’s office also pointed to Maryland’s continuing partnership with the Air Force on Andrews-related matters, including the Dec. 23, 2024 transfer of the 121st Fighter Squadron to the Maryland Air National Guard.

That transfer kept another Andrews mission in the foreground. The 121st Fighter Squadron of the 113th Wing flies F-16s at Joint Base Andrews, and the governor’s office said the move supported Maryland’s flying mission and national security. The base itself says it remains active, including a May 2026 military appreciation event and other ongoing installation activity.

For a base that serves wounded service members, presidential travel and fighter operations, a golf renovation is now a proxy fight over who controls a valuable public space and how quickly it gets rebuilt.