Golf in the Kingdom
 Cover of the 1974 UK first edition | |
| Author | Michael Murphy |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Golf Mysticism |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
Publication date | October 1, 1971 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 240 |
| ISBN | 0-14-019549-1 |
| Followed by | Jacob Atabet |
Golf in the Kingdomis a 1971 novel byMichael Murphy.It has sold over a million copies and been translated into 19 languages.[1]Golf in the Kingdomtells the story of Michael Murphy, a young traveler who accidentally stumbles on a mystical golfing expert while inScotland.
Murphy was inspired to write the book after his time at theSri Aurobindo Ashram.He became interested in the similarities between descriptions of successful athletes and people who said they had achieved the state ofZen.The novel spawned the Shivas Irons Society, an organization whose members combine golf andmeditation.[2][3]In 1997, Murphy wrote a sequel,The Kingdom of Shivas Irons.[4]
Golf in the Kingdomis referenced in the fifth episode of season one of the television seriesFranklin & Bash.
Plot
[edit]While onlayoveron his way to anashraminIndia,Michael Murphy decides to play a round of golf at Burningbush, a famous local golf course. There he meets the mysterious and charismatic golf pro Shivas Irons who over a 24-hour period teaches him about golf and spirituality.
Film version
[edit]Clint Eastwoodpurchased the rights to the book, but abandoned the project after writing several unfinished scripts in the early 1990s.[5]
In 2009, Murphy, producerMindy Affrimeand directorSusan Streitfeldbegan filming their version of the book. Shot on location atBandon Dunes Golf Resort,it starsDavid O'HaraandMason Gambleand premiered in New York City on July 29, 2011.[1]Review aggregatorMetacriticrates the film version 13 out of 100, indicating "overwhelming dislike", with all five critic reviews being negative.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abGoodwin, Stephen (2010).Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes.Algonquin Books.pp. 312–20.ISBN978-1-56512-981-8.RetrievedSeptember 5,2010.
- ^Paul William Kroll (May 1977). "Karate Can Heal the Mind-Body Split in Western Sports".Black Belt.p. 27.ISSN0277-3066.
- ^Boulware, Jack (2000).San Francisco Bizarro.Macmillan.p. 20.ISBN0-312-20671-2.
- ^Jackie Krentzman (January–February 1998)."In Murphy's Kingdom".Stanford Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon May 4, 2006.RetrievedSeptember 5,2010.
- ^Strachan, Graeme (November 2, 2020)."Sir Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood and the Fife golf movie that never was".The Courier.RetrievedFebruary 21,2021.
- ^"Golf in the Kingdom".Metacritic.
Further reading
[edit]- John O'Hern (January 23, 2013).Sweetspot Confessions of a Golfaholic: A laugh out loud tale of obsession(4th ed.). The Editing Company.ISBN978-0615760483.
