Golf is a strange game. It’s the only sport where you can stand perfectly still, in total silence, and somehow experience a complete mental breakdown. Most people think they’re just chasing a little white ball around a field. Michael Murphy knew better. When he published Golf in the Kingdom in 1971, he didn't just write a sports novel; he basically dropped a philosophical bomb on the country club set.
It’s been over fifty years.
People are still obsessed with it. Why? Honestly, it’s because Murphy captured that weird, spiritual "vibe" that happens when you're alone on a fairway at twilight. He introduced us to Shivas Irons, a fictional Scottish pro who treated the golf swing like a yoga pose and the golf course like a cathedral. It sounds trippy. It is trippy. But for anyone who has ever felt that "click" when a 7-iron feels weightless, the book is the only thing that explains it.
The Shivas Irons Mythos and Why it Stuck
Most golf books are boring. They’re about grip pressure or how to fix a slice. Murphy’s book is about the "inner game." He tells the story of a young traveler named Michael who stops in Scotland at a place called Burningbush. There, he meets Shivas.
Shivas isn’t your typical teaching pro. He drinks a lot of whiskey. He meditates. He talks about "true gravity."
There is a specific scene that haunts most readers. It’s the midnight round. They play in the dark. If you've ever tried to find your ball in the rough during a sunset, you know the panic. But Shivas teaches Michael to feel the ball. To see with more than just his eyes. It sounds like something out of a Star Wars movie, but Murphy was actually drawing on his real-life experiences with the Esalen Institute and human potential movements. He wasn't just making it up for flavor; he genuinely believed the golf course was a laboratory for the human soul.
The genius of Golf in the Kingdom is that it bridges the gap between the stuffy, plaid-pants world of the 1970s PGA and the mystical, "flow state" psychology we talk about now. Before there was Tiger Woods talking about "the zone," there was Shivas Irons talking about the "sweet spot" of the universe.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Philosophy
A lot of critics back in the day thought Murphy was just a hippie trying to ruin a good walk. They missed the point. The book isn't saying you don't need a good swing. It’s saying that your swing is a direct reflection of your internal chaos.
If you're tight in your mind, you're tight in your hamstrings. Simple.
There’s a section in the second half of the book—the part many people actually skip because it gets pretty dense—where Murphy breaks down the "Theoretical Investigations of Shivas Irons." It’s basically a collection of notes on the physics and metaphysics of the game. He talks about the "Atman" and the "Jiva." He’s mixing Vedic philosophy with a Scottish links course. It shouldn't work. On paper, it sounds ridiculous. But when you’re standing over a four-foot putt for par, and your heart is hammering against your ribs, you realize that golf is 100% a mental game. Murphy just gave us the vocabulary for it.
The Real-World Impact of Burningbush
You can’t actually go to Burningbush. It’s a fictionalized version of several Scottish courses, primarily inspired by the author’s time at St Andrews. But the impact of the book was so massive that it birthed the Shivas Irons Society. This is a real organization. They aren't just fans; they are golfers who try to play the game with the same "mindfulness" (though they’d probably hate that buzzword) that Shivas preached.
They focus on:
- Playing the game for the sake of the walk and the rhythm.
- Using hickory clubs to feel the vibration of the shot.
- Emphasizing the "spirit of the game" over the scorecard.
It’s a counter-culture within a sport that is usually defined by expensive gear and exclusive memberships. Golf in the Kingdom gave permission to a whole generation of players to admit that they weren't just playing for the score—they were looking for a transcendental experience.
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Why the Movie Failed (And Why the Book Still Wins)
They tried to make a movie out of it in 2010. It had Julian Sands and David O'Hara. Honestly? It didn't quite land. It’s hard to film "inner gravity." It’s hard to put a camera on a man’s internal awakening while he's hitting a bunker shot.
The book stays relevant because it lives in your imagination. When Murphy describes the sound of a perfectly struck ball echoing off the gorse-covered hills, you can hear it. You don't need a CGI effect.
The prose is jagged. Murphy will go from a very technical description of a grip to a wild, five-page monologue about the nature of time. It keeps you off balance. That’s exactly how golf feels. One minute you’re a god because you stuck a wedge to two feet, and the next minute you’re a disaster because you shanked it into a pond.
Practical Lessons You Can Actually Use
You don't have to be a mystic to get something out of Golf in the Kingdom. If you’re struggling with your game, stop buying new drivers. Read the chapter on "The Sweet Spot."
Basically, Murphy suggests that we spend too much time trying to control the ball and not enough time trying to join with it. It sounds "kinda" out there, but try this next time you're at the range:
Don't think about your elbow or your wrist. Just focus on the weight of the clubhead. Feel where it is in space. That’s Shivas 101. It’s about external focus versus internal over-analysis.
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Also, consider the "Midnight Round" mentality. You don't literally have to play in the dark (the greenskeeper will kill you), but try playing a few holes without checking your GPS or your rangefinder. Look at the land. See the slopes. Trust your gut. Most golfers are so buried in data—spin rates, launch angles, smash factors—that they’ve lost the ability to actually play the game.
The Mystery of Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy himself is a fascinating guy. He co-founded the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, which was the epicenter of the Human Potential Movement. He wasn't some golf journalist; he was a guy interested in what humans are capable of.
He saw golf as a "Western Zen."
In the East, you have archery or sword fighting. In the West, we have this weird game where we wear polo shirts and try to navigate 400 yards of grass. Murphy realized that the stakes are the same. It’s a test of the self. He’s written other books, but none have the staying power of this one. It’s his Catcher in the Rye.
Is it for Everyone?
Look, if you just want to know how to stop a hook, this isn't your book. You’ll probably find it frustrating. It’s long-winded in spots. It gets weird. There are ghosts—sorta.
But if you’ve ever walked off the 18th green feeling like you just went through a 4-hour therapy session, you need to read it. It’s the only book that treats the game with the seriousness it deserves while acknowledging how absurd it is.
Actionable Steps for the "Kingdom" Mindset
If you want to bring a bit of Shivas Irons to your next Saturday morning tee time, don't overcomplicate it. You don't need to move to Scotland.
- The Pre-Shot Silence. Most people are talking right up until they swing. Instead, take ten seconds. Just stand behind the ball and look. Don't "calculate" the wind; just feel it on your face.
- Accept the "Rub of the Green." Shivas taught that the bad bounces are just as important as the good ones. They are part of the "kingdom." When your ball hits a tree and bounces into the sand, don't curse. That’s just where the ball is now. Deal with the reality of the present moment.
- Change Your Vocabulary. Stop saying "I hit a bad shot." Start observing the results without the ego. The ball went left. Why? Because the face was closed. It’s data, not a moral failing.
- Walk If You Can. The cart ruins the rhythm. The walk between shots is where the "meditation" happens. It gives you time to process the last shot and let it go before the next one.
Golf in the Kingdom isn't just a book about sports; it's a map. It shows you that the fairway isn't just a path to a hole in the ground—it's a path to understanding why you're so wound up in the first place. Next time you're out there, try to find your own Burningbush. It's probably closer than you think.