Film, book take fans on winding path through golf course and beyond

Chris Felver recognized an image, not quite his own, but in it there was someone — something — that became a part of him.

“When people look at my photographs, though the image might not look like them, I want them to see a reflection of themselves,” said Felver, an acclaimed photographer and filmmaker now based in Sausalito.

When Felver first read “Golf in the Kingdom” by Mill Valley author Michael Murphy, he was struck by the teachings and musings of the character Shivas Irons. Over the past 50 years since its first publication, the legendary story changed forever the way Felver — and thousands of others — look at the sport of golf and life.

The Smith Rafael theater on Sunday at 4:15 p.m. will have a special screening event for “Spirit of Golf,” Felver’s 20-year odyssey inspired in part by Murphy’s story and his own love affair with the sport. The film follows Felver to some of the great golf courses in the world, from Pebble Beach to St. Andrews, where he engages with some of legends of the sport, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller and others, looking for a deeper understanding to a sport that can be as glorious as it is humbling.

A panel discussion moderated by Barry Robbins with Felver, Murphy and Golf magazine founder Al Barkow will accompany the screening.

“When I read the book (“Golf in the Kingdom”) I was dumbfounded,” Felver said. “I hadn’t thought of that aspect to the game. I was playing competitive golf at the time and to read that book was a revelation. It took us to a completely different path to what we were used to. From then on Michael Murphy was king in my book, as was Shivas Irons.”

“Golf in the Kingdom” has been described as mind altering and mystifying … but most of all as awakening. The story — fictional, but with a semi-autobiographical hint — follows young Michael Murphy as he prepares to travel to India to study with a guru. The real Murphy did live in India in 1956. The character stops in Scotland, where he plays a round of golf with local golf pro Shivas Irons on a course suspiciously similar to St. Andrews.

Shivas shares his theories about golf and humanity, how the game reflects on the soul, in a metaphysical round of golf. Shivas’ teachings not only improve Murphy’s golf game, but change his relationship to the world around him.

“I call it an old-fashioned ‘quest novel’ of things that are spiritual,” Murphy said. “A lot of people read it as fact, but I made this story up. It triggered a lot of conversation about golf and its deeper meaning, and the movie reflects that.… Felver tries to bring this out in his movie in his own way.”

Murphy, a standout golfer at Salinas High School in his youth, often found his way to nearby Pebble Beach for a round of golf with his younger brother Dennis, who was an even better golfer. Playing at the Bing Crosby Clambake behind another twosome, Dennis Murphy’s shot was better than expected. Crosby and Bob Hope were on the green when Dennis Murphy’s ball rolled into the cup for an eagle. Despite the breach of etiquette, Crosby and Hope applauded the high school golfers.

California in the Sixties was experiencing a counterculture revolution, and Murphy was in the thick of it as he founded the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, dedicated to exploring human potential through mediation, study and other means.

Murphy, now 92 and living in the Cascades, doesn’t play golf anymore, but continues to meditate on golf in all its facets.

“These courses (Pebble Beach and St. Andrews) are the world’s largest gardens. They are magnificent,” Murphy said. “Cypress Point is another incredible course. Pebble Beach, with the staggering views, the looks, the vistas, the play of the weather… You’re always going to have a show seeing that course unveil itself.”

In 1972, Murphy brought together his love of golf and his mediations within the pages of his first attempt at writing and produced the unexpected hit, “Golf in the Kingdom”.

“It’s been a blessing for me,” Murphy said. “The main thing is it has led to is an awakening of the inner game, the mental side. The revelation to me is the range of experiences that people want to tell me about for 50 years now.”

Although sometimes called a “golf classic” by reviewers, the teachings of the book have gone beyond the links. Football coaches Pete Carrol and John Walsh, former NBA coach Phil Jackson and others adapted the insights into their careers and personal lives.

Murphy’s awakening in “Golf in the Kingdom” is only part of the story, which has inspired professional golfers and even served as the foundation for the Shivas Irons Society, which has chapters in all 50 states. The society “supports those on the path of mastery, in golf and life, through educational programs, golf events, and fostering a community of like-minded individuals around the world. We see golf as an opportunity for personal growth and we gather to support each other in becoming a higher version of ourselves.”

Robbins, vice-president of ITP International, is celebrating the 13th annual Golf in the Kingdom event at TPC Harding Park on Oct. 2. The event includes coaching from golf pros and experiential mystery holes in which golfers are blindfolded to expand horizons. For more information, visit https://www.itp-international.org/gkm-2023.