Golf in the Kingdom, the movie
Fictional tale filmed at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon
by Karen Misuraca
The legendary links at Bandon Dunes were the setting for the filming of "Golf in the
Kingdom," the movie based on Michael Murphy's bestselling book; the movie will be released in
2010.
 Golf in the Kingdom is the best-selling golf fiction book ever, having sold more than
1 million copies -- a story of golf and self-discovery, set in Scotland in the 1950s. A young
American is transformed by a day of golf with a teacher named Shivas Irons at Burningbush Golf
Club in
Scotland. The popularity and appeal of the book resulted in the formation of the Shivas Irons Society, a non-profit organization
that "provides opportunities for community, discovery
and transformation through golf."
Shivas Irons Society
From the organization's web site: "The Society is named in honor of Shivas Irons, the
mystical and prodigiously talented golf professional who was introduced to us in Michael Murphy's
classic novel, Golf in the Kingdom. In the single day he spends with Murphy on a revered Scottish
links, Shivas instructs him in the metaphysical aspects of golf, including the elusive 'true
gravity.' The game is revealed as a doorway to the mysteries of life, a higher dimension of
experience and a path to truth and self-discovery."
David O'Hara will star in the movie as Shivas Irons; Mason Gamble as young Michael Murphy; Frances
Fisher as Eve, and Malcolm McDowell as Peter. Check out this 10-minute YouTube preview of "Golf in the Kingdom".
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort lies on the
Oregon coast, about a half-hour's drive from Bend, which is
served by flights from Portland and San Francisco; you can also make the 5-hour drive from
Portland.
Best New Courses
Rocketing to the top of "Best New Courses" lists soon after they opened at the turn of the 21st
century, the stunning links layouts at Bandon are as rugged as those in Scotland, with stiff winds
and long forced carries. On a sandy marine terrace a hundred feet above a breathtaking stretch of
coastline, knobby hillocks, high dunes, deep hollows and turf-sided pot bunkers recall the first
golf courses ever created. Ball-grabbing, real Scottish gorse adds to the fun. Scraped by steady
ocean breezes, fairways and greens are dry and fast. A small lodge, restaurant and pro shop
accommodate the intrepid golfers who make the pilgrimage to this remote location.
Of the four courses here, Golf Magazine places Pacific Dunes
at the top of its "Top Public Access Golf Courses in the U.S.," with the Bandon Dunes course at #6 and Bandon Trails
at #15. The new
Old MacDonald
Golf Links has just been opened. An homage to Charles Blair Macdonald (1856-1939),
the father of American golf course architecture, Old Mac was designed by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina;
Doak also created Pacific Dunes.
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