Overview
- Cedar Creek Golf Club operates inside the minimum-security Cedar Creek Corrections Center with weekly Wednesday night sessions built around foam-ball drills and staged hitting stations.
- Superintendent Tim Thrasher conceived and runs the program, provides most of the equipment, participates in practices, and even played nine holes on the outside with a former participant.
- Interest was high at launch in 2022, with roughly 75 inmates responding and about 15 selected, reflecting demand for structured activities focused on patience, discipline, respect, and trust.
- In July, five inmates left the facility under supervision to play a four-hole scramble at The Home Course, each paired with an officer, in an outing coordinated with the Pacific Northwest Golf Association and course staff that included a maintenance job talk.
- Participants describe improved self-image and social skills, and organizers report no recidivism among alumni so far, though the sample is small, follow-up is short, and long-term impact remains unproven.