Golf in the Kingdom

By: Michael Murphy

Narrated by: John Hannah

Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Hailed as a classic when it first appeared in 1972, Michael Murphy's novel combines an amiable Zen mysticism with what many consider the very mystical - and sometimes downright frustrating - sport of golf. At its center is the charming guru of the Scottish links, Shivas Irons, whose instruction is as pertinent in life as it is on the course. After a long wait, this shamanic golf pro reappeared for the follow-up novel, The Kingdom of Shivas Irons, also available from BDD Audio.

©1998 Michael Murphy (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Murphy's book is going to alter many visions." ( New York Times Book Review)
"[Murphy has] put a lot of fine thoughts together here, most gracefully, and the book should have a long and prosperous life." (Joseph Campbell)

golf is life, if you can just see it

I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and we'll have to read it now further grass plexus ease shivers. apologies for punctuation as I am voice to texting this in. Michael Murphy was quoted several times in the book Be a Player which led me to listen to this book. I'm someone jealous of his experience with jibbers irons, something I'll not be able to have personally, but can Endeavor to live out through the writing in this book. golf in the Kingdom has not made me a better golfer yet, but I am enjoying the game much more. through that continued enjoyment I will continue to improve. I love this game, the game that can't be won only played, credit The Legend of Bagger Vance. I love everything about it. at 63 years old I'm playing the best golf of my like and choke in tournaments. I'm now exploring the mental side of the game and through that exploration and finding a spiritual side to the game. maybe that's why I've loved it so much for so long

Transforming

I'm so glad Michael Murphy wrote these books "Golf in the Kingdom" and "The Kingdom of Shivas Irons." They are physics and metaphysics told in autobiography story form. The way he writes makes the reader/listener feel present in the story and EXPERIENCING what the author is which is -- expanding of his mind and awareness beyond our so-called normal parameters where only the physical exists. There is so much more to our physical "reality" than most of us acknowledge and realizing this is crucial to improving our world, not to mention expanding our joy in living and fulfilling our lives. And there is no denigration or devaluing of the physical aspect of reality, rather, increased appreciation! A truly valuable and beautiful book.

If you love golf......

Great narrator. Even better story line
Was referred by a friend as a book but Audible did it justice

Mind blown

The first two thirds of the book was great. He kind of lost me at the end. Overall a good book.

Good approach to life

I enjoyed the book. The narrator did a great job. I think the philosophies on how we should approach life and the allegory of golf is spot on. By cheating the game, you cheat yourself. The only draw back is that I felt the level of inspiration the character takes from Shivas Irons is a bit contrived at times. Not every point made by Irons is amazing. Good overall though.

Excellent book to read. Audio book listen is Odd.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No. While the book is a golf classic, I think it was silly to cast a Scottish sounding performer to read the book clearly written by an American.

Would you be willing to try another one of John Hannah’s performances?

Why would they select a Scottish sounding performer when the book is clearly written by an American? It is very strange to listen to the book(I have read a couple times) be read by a Scottish sounding person.

Well Written But Too Mystical

This book is really well written and an enjoyable read. It definitely has some literary merit. It is also a great reminder of the spiritual side of golf, as well as a call not to think of the game as Western culture thinks of the world: overly technical, scientistic, or mechanistic. Great golf, Murphy suggests, does not boil down to technique. Instead, it is a microcosm of the world, life, psychology; it is a chance to improve yourself along with your game, or at least a chance to better understand yourself. It's almost a hymn to the poetry of the game with some great poetry of its own.

That said, it spends a lot of time - too much for me - on mysticism, what it calls "true gravity," para psychology, metaphysics (not the stuff of Western philosophy but the stuff of crystals and astrology), self help, and so forth. In that sense, it's almost like its theme (golf) is secondary and inconsequential to the main substance of the book (basically, I'm guessing whatever they teach at the Esalen Institute, which was co-founded by the author). I bet the author could have written the same exact book about any other sport or mystical experience.

Development of the deeper self

What an incredible book that touches on the depths of the human spirit in relation to golf. A must read for any golfer who is also a seeker of the meaning and depths of life.

Loved it! A beautiful journey!

From beginning to end beautifully written A journey everyone should take Everyone should experience this

If it were on cassette tape, my copy would have be

I can't count the number of times I have listened to this book. It's my go-to listening. I love the golf, the theories, the mystics, the fantasies and the way it's told. If you love the game of golf and its eternal spring of hope of many better golf rounds ahead and greater meanings attributed to golf, you would no doubt enjoy this reading. I also come back to it again and again in part because of the way it's read and it's theatrical production-like effect. I think I don't cancel Audible because I am afraid of losing this narration of the book:).

Enjoy.