Langston Golf Course

About Langston Golf Course

Langston is a par 72 on the Anacostia in Northeast DC, 6,652 yards from the back tees and 5,307 from the forward set, so there's a tee for everyone in the group. The front side rolls; the back nine is the water side, with the tidal marsh and the river along the whole stretch and part of it out on Kingman Island. The one people bring up is the par-5 10th, where ESPN.com noted you need about a 200-yard carry to clear Kingman Lake off the tee. The map survey backs up the feel: water near five holes and the river along four, three forced carries, trees along all 18, 49 bunkers, and only about 36 feet between the high and low ground. Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data.

The history matters here. Langston opened on June 11, 1939, as a replacement for a nine-hole course that was the oldest in the country built for African Americans, and when it opened it was one of only 20 U.S. courses open to Black golfers. It's named for John Mercer Langston. The back nine came in 1955, the year DC's courses were desegregated, and through that era it was a regular stop for United Golf Association events while the PGA Tour was closed to Black players. The first nine went on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, and the course entered the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 2013.

Lee Elder, the first African American to play the Masters, managed the course from 1978 to 1981 and added the driving range. Every hole on the card now carries the name of a Black pioneer in American golf, Elder and Althea Gibson among them. It's still home to the oldest African American men's and women's golf clubs in the country, it was one of the first First Tee sites in 2002, and National Links Trust runs it alongside East Potomac and Rock Creek on National Park Service land. Melva's Kitchen in the clubhouse serves breakfast through dinner, and the range has Toptracer in every bay.

It's one of 4 courses in Washington on Yoink, and the closest alternative is East Potomac Golf Links - Blue, about 4 miles away — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

What it's like to play Langston Golf Course

You'll carry water off the tee or into the green on 3 holes. A creek or river runs through the property and comes into play on 4 holes.

Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data (ODbL).

Booking a tee time at Langston Golf Course

Tee times open one week ahead and are prepaid online through playDCgolf; nothing past seven days shows up. Cancel online at least 2 hours before your time. Regular 18-hole walking rates posted in September 2026 were $34 Monday to Thursday and $43 Friday to Sunday and holidays, with senior and military rates on weekdays and juniors at $15. Call the shop at 202-397-8638 to use a rain check or gift card.

How to get a tee time at Langston Golf Course