Background    

The Society is a non-profit, charitable and educational organization named in honor of Shivas Irons, the mystical and awesomely talented golf professional who was introduced to us in Michael Murphy's classic novel, Golf in the Kingdom.               

Golf in the Kingdom is an exploration of golf's deeper mysteries as revealed through the teachings and journals of the enigmatic Shivas, whom the author encounters on a revered old linksland course in Scotland. In the single day he spends with Murphy, Shivas instructs him in the metaphysical aspects of the game, including the pursuit of "true gravity," a kind of mental bliss reached through an awareness of the transformational power of golf and the spiritual energy that surrounds it. Golf is revealed as a doorway to the mysteries of life, a higher dimension of experience, and a path to truth and self-discovery.

In 1992, twenty years after its publication, the tremendous popularity of the novel, and the outpouring of letters from readers who were anxious to share their own mystical or breakthrough experiences on the golf course, led to the formation of the Shivas Irons Society. Founded during the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the Society quickly gained more than 1,200 members from all walks of life, including PGA touring and teaching professionals, writers and artists, business people, and former Presidents of the USGA. Our members share a common love for the game and a respect for golf's deeper dimensions.

The Society is dedicated to furthering the game of golf as a mindful pursuit and as a tool for personal growth and transformation. We are a network of golfers committed to promoting golf's value system, honoring the game's history and Scottish roots and celebrating the game for its many beauties and virtues. We conduct conferences, clinics and local gatherings. We advocate respect for the environment, sponsor charitable activities, maintain a summer camp scholarship program for at-risk youth, and most recently have begun publication of a critically acclaimed art and literary journal to pay homage to the body of creative expression that the game has inspired.