By Mallory Mattingly
Inmates at Cedar Creek Corrections Center in Olympia, Washington, Nico and Tejuan have found that “golf can serve as rehabilitation for those whom society would rather forget,” per Golf.com.
Prison superintendent Tim Thrasher started The Cedar Creek Golf Club, and, “believes in the game’s rules and etiquette and that sort of thing, which led him to think that there would be no better activity for Cedar Creek.”
The Cedar Creek Golf Club began three years ago, and about a year and a half ago, Nico became curious about how to get involved.
“Speaking from my own personal experiences, this is new,” Nico shared in a video on YouTube. “I’m 30 years old and this is completely new. And it’s always something you see as prestige for me. So it’s like, OK, I’m in this situation and it does give me a form of therapy to come up here and be like, OK, I’m about to go golf. I never thought I’d be golfing, let alone in prison.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbxDdlzegE0
Related: Golf Champ Focuses on Faith and Family: ‘Golf Is Third’
Fellow inmate Tejuan has three activities in this prison: golf, weightlifting, and praying.
“Never in a million years” did Tejuan think he would be playing golf inside prison.
However, he has learned that there are so many lessons to be learned from the game of golf.
“It’s never something that could actually advance you in life, like golf could actually advance you in life,” Tejuan shared. “Just the principles that you apply when you play golf. Then when you apply that to your life, you know, and also just the socialization that you actually get when you go to golf courses.
“There’s a different element at golf courses. There’s a different lifestyle that comes with playing golf. It’s an expensive sport, so you have to actually have a job. You have to pay for everything. So it keeps you working. It’s not like anything else, and it also, I’ll say, gives you a leg up,” he added.
Golf.com shared a snippet of the YouTube video on its Instagram and received many positive comments about what is happening with God Behind Bars.
“As a former Judge, Prosecutor, current criminal defense attorney and someone who absolutely loves playing the game of golf, I fully support this opportunity for the inmates. Golf is a humbling game. It requires patience, integrity, discipline and focus. These are all positive traits that will enhance their chances at becoming productive members of society upon their re-entry,” one person commented.
Nick Pia, the man who went to Cedar Creek to learn about God Behind Bars, also commented, “And here’s a quick story that didn’t make the main story. As part of this, I played golf with the super and a released inmate who had been in the program. On a shot, I propped my ball up — to which the ex-inmate said: “I can’t believe you cheated in front of a cop.” … So CCGC is big on the rules of golf.”
Cedar Creek Gold Club has offered inmates a second chance at life as they prepare for reintegration into society. Several inmates have already seen the benefits golf has had on their lives.
Read Next: WATCH: Inmates Praise God Behind Bars
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