The Kingdom of Shivas Irons: A Novel

by Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy's Golf in the Kingdom is one of the bestselling golf books of all time and has been hailed as "a golf classic if any exists in our day" (John Updike) and "a masterpiece on the mysticism of golf" (San Francisco Chronicle).  Golf in the Kingdom introduced Shivas Irons, the mysterious golf pro and philosopher with whom Murphy played a mythic round of golf on Scotland's Burningbush links, a round that profoundly altered his game--and his vision.

The Kingdom of Shivas Irons is the enchanting story of Murphy's return to Scotland in search of Shivas Irons and his wisdom about golf and human potential.  Murphy's quest takes him from the mystical golf courses of Scotland, across the world to the first Russian Open Golf Championship, and finally to Pebble Beach on the California Coast.  The result is a delightful exploration of the inner game of golf and a provocative inquiry into our remarkable possibilities for growth and transformation.

Genres: Fiction, Philosophy, Sports

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Bestselling author Michael Murphy has been called the father of the human potential movement, one of the most influential movements in twentieth-century American culture. His bestselling book Golf in the Kingdom (1972) inspired the creation of the Shivas Irons Society, a nonprofit group dedicated to finding beauty and discovery through the game of golf, and has recently been adapted into a movie starring Malcolm McDowell (2010). His other books include Jacob Atabet (1977), An End to Ordinary History (1982), In the Zone (1995), and The Kingdom of Shivas Irons (1997). He lives in California.

Reviews

[David Stock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting

Interesting. That said, it took all I had to complete reading it. Pretty deep reading for a book supposedly about golf.

[Diane Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystical and lovely. Not just for golfers.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

California - nuh- i don't think so.

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nowhere near as good as Golf in the Kingdom.

[Benny]

loved it

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy follow-up to Golf in the Kingdom and a book I will revisit and think about

[Stuart]

enjoyed it

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good...a little out there but interesting story.