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The Shivas Iron Society

The Shivas Irons Society

  • 9 Feb 2024 7:25 AM | Ben Kline (Administrator)

    Reclaiming Our Soul

    Reclaiming Our Soul

    John Patrick Williams

    Why I Play Golf

    Evidence against my common claim that I started playing golf in 2017.

    I kind of hate golf. It feels inseparable to so much of what I struggle to accept and navigate in my life. I’ve noticed how often judgment and frustration comes up for me when I see how others play and talk about the game. I want golf to be different. I want it to be less closely tied to privilege and I wish I didn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed in certain circles to share that I play. But if I’m really being honest with myself, I see how I project judgment and frustration with myself outwardly. The game exposes me. It shows me something about my unique hangups and insecurities and lack of internal clarity about who I’m committed to being. I so often want others to change, rather than leaning into the effort I can make to play the game I choose for myself.

    So why do I play golf? My ego plays to look good and shoot low scores. It wants to play the best courses and impress others with how far I hit the ball. With the quality of my strikes and my touch around the green. It wants validation and respect and admiration. That’s still there for me always. There are times I’m more aware of it than others, but it remains inseparable from who I am and how I show up in the world. My ego also wants to “fix” this. It wants to not care and to play with freedom and beauty and grace. It thinks it can solve things for me and manifest a perpetual high of made putts and perfect shots. It thinks it can manufacture a version of John Patrick Williams that is free from attachment. Always good and right and aligned. If we just do this, this, and this – all will be well.

    But there’s another part of me that knows better. It reminds me that there is no endpoint, no final destination of sure alignment and sharp clarity and neat perfection. It says to me let’s lean into and embrace the mess. Let’s accept the endless paradox of being. It encourages me to be with it all – making the effort to stay with my breath and intention, to join my deeper self and stay present to all that life presents me with. I can then return to the love in my heart and my feet on the ground. I can enjoy the walk.

    I feel that this is the doorway into all that I seek in life. Love and acceptance for the both/andness of it all. And a willingness to look honestly at my privilege and how I operate within it. It’s what Shivas Irons reminds me of when I revisit Golf in the Kingdom. It’s what I hear when Michael Murphy speaks to extraordinary possibilities and this greater life that is pressing to be born in each of us. It reminds me that I’m more than my fear. It asks me to be clear with myself about what I’m committed to and the man I choose to be in this life. It empowers me to create and come home to myself. To find my solid place to swing from.

    I see golf as a microcosm for all that I hope to explore in my life. And even as the judgments continue to arise, even as the game continues to expose and frustrate me, I’m reminded of something innate and special within each of us. The Kingdom within, there waiting to welcome me home, helping to orient me in a direction I feel called to move. Toward a way of being with my messiness and then the world’s. It asks me to imagine new possibilities and practice with commitment and consistency. It reminds me to decide what I want to offer back, to transform and expand my sense of what’s possible, and to actively confront the ways I limit myself. I can then be clear about what really matters to me and the difference I want to make in this life. I can then go into my pain and longing, my insecurity and selfish self-obsession. I can find my courage and my strength – and open up to all that is pressing to be born in me. When I remember that, when I stay with it and find my way within it, I feel proud to play such a beautiful game.


    I read this on the lawn at Esalen as part of my staff offering in October – A Solid Place to Swing From: Golf and the Kingdom Within




    https://reclaimingoursoul.com/2024/02/03/why-i-play-golf/

  • 22 Mar 2023 12:17 PM | Ben Kline (Administrator)

    A couple lovely photos of Pebble Beach from Shivas Irons Society member John Davis who lives in Washington state.  Do you have any magical photos to share with our fellow Shivas members? Post them below or email ben@shivas.org.

  • 23 Oct 2020 2:20 PM | Daniel Renteria (Administrator)


    Do you have a mantra of sorts that is expressed in the way you play golf and/or in the way you play life? For me, it's "This time, you've gone too far!"

    It has definitely shown up in both golf and life for me. First time I heard the phrase was many years ago when my piano teacher asked me to play a passage of music and then stop. I muddled through the passage and then kept on playing as I wanted to hear where the music was going. Ron Elliston, my teacher humorously exclaimed, "this time you've gone too far!" and ever since, I've noticed how I go too far whether it's swinging the golf club faster and harder than I can stay…

  • 19 Mar 2020 10:51 AM | Daniel Renteria (Administrator)

    Mindful Putting During The Coronavirus Outbreak

    We've never lived through a time like this. It feels as if a silent war has begun around us. I want to send a message of comfort but don't know where to begin. Walking through the grocery store yesterday, the sensation of fear was palpable. What can we do? What can I say? I've grown tired of watching the news on tv. As the Director of the Shivas Irons Society, what should I do. And as my friend and fellow SIS member Doug Adams would say, "Ben, don't should yourself". So, I'll just start......

    Random thoughts go through my brain. Today would have been my father's 90th birthday. He's been gone now for almost 30 years. Life is precious and fleeting. And, I love golf. I love what golf teaches me and how it tortures me and what it has yet to teach me. I believe that this game that we love has different things to teach each one of us. Think for a moment what the game has been trying to say to you, through you. 

    So, let me just share here what I believe golf has to teach me. In a word, presence. If you've ever played golf with me, you've witnessed post-adolescent hyperactivity in motion. I'm impatient, not so much with my playing partners, but in my approach to the game, which is to say in my life; and I overdo almost everything in my attempt to improve. When, as a young adult, I was taking piano lessons, Ron Elliston, my beloved teacher, would instruct me to play a short passage. And when I got to the end of the phrase and just kept on playing, Ron would roll his smiling eyes and lovingly shout, "this time, you've gone too far!" And so it is with golf, too. I swing too hard, and move too fast, and end up with a sore back that has become quite a chronic condition. So now, I don't practice my golf swing very much, my back hurts too much between my regular Friday rounds with the fine men at Quail Lodge and Golf Club. So, every day, I practice my putting stroke in the bedroom on a carpet that stimps out at about eleven. And I make it a practice of patience..... of presence..... and of mindfulness.

    When I moved to California sixteen years ago, I knew that I wanted to spend more time around this game that had become a passion. So, I pursued a degree in Sport Psychology and self-servingly wrote a Masters thesis about Mindfulness Meditation and the Anxious Golfer. For a long time, I had dabbled in meditation and in yoga, knowing they were good for me. But I had a hard time sticking with the daily meditation, even though I once attended a ten day silent meditation retreat where I sat meditating fourteen hours a day. So my most consistent meditation practice these days is to practice mindfulness while putting. I work on developing a consistent technique by developing awareness of certain aspects of my stroke that I have learned to place my attention on. Credit goes to Fred Shoemaker founder of the Extraordinary Golf School, for showing me the fundamentals I am developing distinctions of, and refining through my putting meditation practice. I won't go over those technical aspects here but I will share that with focused practice, my putting stroke has improved and at the same time, I feel as though I'm getting the benefit of meditation as well. 

    As we go through these very disconcerting and difficult times, I hope that everyone in the Shivas Irons Society community and their loved ones stay healthy and lives as free as possible from suffering and anxiety. Find a way to cultivate your own mindfulness. Maybe it's watching spiritual videos from teachers such as Eckhart Tolle and Thich Nhat Hanh, or practicing yoga or going for a walk or jog in nature. And even if you are not able to move about your community, find a way to practice the game we love and develop and deepen the spiritual connections you have to golf, to yourself, and to others. Feel free to share with me your journey with developing self through the practice of golf.

    In true gravity,
    Ben

  • 9 Sep 2019 1:22 PM | Daniel Renteria (Administrator)


    On Thursday, August 29, a small gathering of Shivas Golfers had a wonderful time at Wyoming Valley Country Club in Wilkes-Barre, PA. People traveled from as far west as Carmel, CA, and as far east as Geneva, Switzerland, in the person of Juan Calero. Dave Korba and Steve Steinwedel were our gracious local hosts and coordinators. 

    In typical Shivas fashion, we played a hole in silence and another hole with just one club. We even hit feathery golf balls on a par 3 with vintage clubs and that was a real treat!

    One new member, Scott Collins, discovered our group by stopping in the clubhouse a couple weeks before, and asking head pro Peter Korba (Dave's brother) if he had ever read Golf in the Kingdom. Without even a word, Peter handed Scott a flyer about the event. After a subsequent phone conversation with SIS Director Ben Kline, Scott was happily enrolled. Below are some photos of our day together. If you would like to put together your own local event (it's really easy) and meet other Shivas Irons Society members, just call (831-216-6252) or email Ben at ben@shivas.org.

    18th green from the 1st teeWyoming Valley CC view of 18 green from the 1st tee. Gorgeous!
    ​​​​​Ben KlineBen Kline holding the pin, in case you wanted to know when Wyoming Valley CC was built (5th oldest course in PA, originally designed as nine holes by a 20 year old A.W. Tillinghast).

     

    Steve, Dave and ScottSteve Steinwedel, Dave Korba & Scott Collins
     Scott and GeorgeScott Collins & George KirchgaesserJoshua & BenDave Korba & Ben KlineDave & SteveSteve & Dave stalking prey on the greenA lovely par 3A lovely par 3. It's all downhill from here!George, Scott, BenHappy golfers George, Scott & BenScott CollinsScott Collins going old style!Joshua and JoseJoshua Dunn and Juan Calero discussing putters after the round.Steve Steinwedel in cartSteve, you really need to learn how to relax!
  • 2 May 2019 11:03 AM | Daniel Renteria (Administrator)



    Shivas Irons Society Board Member John Rousseau is in Scotland on our joint trip with the Golf Historical Society of Canada. John has promised to keep us up to date with their adventures, so that we might virtually share the experience, even if we are a little jealous that we're not there with them. Enjoy!

    Our first full day in Scotland was excellent.  The Piersland House Hotel turned out to be a typical Scottish hotel.  It looked beautiful, very elegant, but the plumbing was bad; the bed was lumpy; and it had so many stairs (a torment for an aging golfer at the end of a long day on the links).  On the other hand, the breakfast was plentiful and the servers friendly.

    The drive to Turnberry Golf Club took much longer than expected, but we got there.  Roundabouts work great during most of the day, but rush hours . . .?  It rained during the drive, but had stopped by the time we got to the course. There was very little wind and the weather improved constantly, over the course of the day.  By the time we got to the back nine, it was perfect. Our caddies told us that the weather does not get much better than we were having, at Turnberry.  Na wind, na golf?

    The course was green and lush.  The greens were typical links greens, much slower than we are used to back in Canada.

    ......On to Royal Troon tomorrow!

     

    COMMENTS

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    05/03/2019 • 2:50 pm

    DAY 2

    Another sunny day in Ayrshire, Scotland!  So much for the weather forecasts!  I came to Scotland prepared for every kind of weather but the glorious sunshine and warmth we are getting. I will bring a pair of shorts next time, regardless of the forecast.  

    The people at Royal Troon was incredibly friendly.  The pro, Kieron, and the bookings manager, Alan, could not have been nicer.  They bumped our tee time two hours forward, which made the day go much more smoothly.  We had an excellent lunch in the dining room, overlooking the 18th green. 

    Royal Troon was in great shape.  Once again the greens were a little slow by our North American standards, but they were smooth and rolled true.

    Two days of putting on slow greens clearly demonstrated the power of habit to me.  I kept looking at putts and telling myself that I had to hit them harder to get them to the hole, but could not seem to force myself to do it.  My conscious thoughts could not seem to overcome the unconscious bond between what my eyes were seeing and how hard my body would hit the putts.  End result, I spent the day coming up short on almost every putt.

    We are looking forward to meeting up with the group in the morning and starting the tour in earnest.  Our backs are aching, but we are as “warmed up” for the organized trip as we can be.  

    Best regards,

    John

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    05/04/2019 • 2:41 pm

    DAY 3

    Hello there. I trust this message finds you well. We have now met up with the group and spent our first day with them.  They seem like a nice bunch of fellows.  There are several Shivas Irons Society members, such as Gerry Stratford and Larry Jacobs, as well as the people from the Golf Historical Society of Canada.

    Today we drove to Western Gailes for lunch and an afternoon round of golf.  It is a wonderful links course, made even better by the weather we played through.  After being piped in on the first tee, we saw sun, rain, hail, wind, and still air, all in the space of four hours.

    Today, the game reminded me that trying too hard is a mistake.  Most of the time it is better to let the game come to you! When you wait patiently for them, good bounces seem to want to happen.  

    On one early hole,  I hit a perfect 6-iron, right on line, which landed just in front of the green and bounced sideways into a very difficult lie in a steep faced bunker, resulting in a big number.  A few holes later, a 7-iron, hit 20 yards to the right of my intended line, took three or four sideways bounces around a bunker and ended up close to the pin.  Sometimes you just have to let it happen!

    We ended the day with an excellent dinner at the Marine Hotel in Troon.  On to Glasgow Gailes tomorrow.  

    Best regards,
    John

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    05/09/2019 • 10:26 am

    Day 4

    Day two with the group was a visit to Glasgow Golf Club, also known as Gailes or Glasgow Gailes.  We took a bus over and had lunch at the course before playing.  Attached is a photo of some Society members at the back of the bus.  

    members at the rear of the bus

    Earlier in the morning, I took a walk on the beach beside Royal Troon with one of the trip participants.  We walked back across part of the course to get back to our hotel.  Walkers or ramblers are quite common on golf courses here.  

    By happenstance we came upon two members who were playing a match.  At the 17th tee, a long par three into the wind, we asked the members if they would mind if we watched them play their tee shots.  The first of them said that he did not, but that we should definitely not imitate anything we saw.  He then proceeded to hit a driver approximately 220 yards, into a stiff breeze, to 3 feet from the hole.  His opponent, seemingly nonplussed, hit a hybrid to the front of the green.  But for the previous, spectacular shot, the second shot would have looked grand.  We followed the players up to the green, where the first player cashed in his great shot, by making the putt for birdie.   We gave them a little applause and then walked on. It was an interesting ten minute vignette.  

    When it came time to play our own round, I was reminded that you cannot force the game. You simply have to wait for it to come to you.  I started slowly but improved on the back nine.

    One of the highlights of the round was watching Bill Stanton, a.k.a. Billy, fight back from a deep deficit in his match with Wayne Morgan, a.k.a. the Commish.  The photos below, from the front of the 18th green, show them settling the match on the final hole.  Billy won and the match ended all square.

    Fairway shotlong putt from off the green

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    05/09/2019 • 10:42 am

    Day 5

    A very early morning, as we set off for the 5.5 hour coach ride to Brora, the northernmost point of our trip.  The weather forecast was not good, but it turned out even worse than that.

    The coach ride was pleasant and the Scottish countryside beautiful.  Brora is a very small town, hard by the North Sea.  The clubhouse, at Brora is modest, but the hospitality was excellent.

    The golf course at Brora has sheep and cows grazing on the fairways. There are low electrified fences around the greens, to keep the livestock at bay.  We did not have to worry about livestock this day, as the animals were too smart to go out onto the course.

    The weather changes are just as quick and as big as we were led to believe. The temperature was in the low single digits (with the windchill, less than 40°F).  The sleet and hail, coming in sideways at times, were bone chilling.

    The lesson the game taught today was perseverance.  Everyone finished!  Everyone got wet!

    This is a course that you could play every day without getting bored.

    golfer putting in dark hooded clothingJohn Rousseau and man's best friend

    My caddie told me that the statue of a dog was meant to keep the livestock on edge and moving.  I have no idea if he was telling me a shaggy dog story.

    Best,
    John

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    05/09/2019 • 10:57 am

    Day 6

    We arrived at Dornoch yesterday evening.  It has a similar feel to St. Andrews.  It seems to be a town largely devoted to golf.

    Some of us stayed at the Links House.  It was glorious. It had golf memorabilia and books everywhere and even had a putting green outside our door.

    This morning, the fourth day of our trip, we headed off mid-morning to play Royal Dornoch.  The course was in full bloom. The sun was out for much of the day (although we did see a little hail).  It was a glorious day to be alive, especially on a golf course.

    The lesson today was that wanting something too much on the golf course, or anywhere else, can be a bad thing.  I played very well today, but all I can remember is what happened on Foxy.  Foxy is the 14th hole at Dornoch and, by most reckonings, the most famous hole on the course.

    It's a 435 yard par four, with an offset, raised green.  I have always wanted to play the real thing, having played a replica in Michigan years ago.  I hit my best drive of the day and a wonderful three hybrid that stopped just short of the green coming to a stop at the bottom of a steep slope. I wanted a par so badly, I could taste it. My caddie almost cost himself a tip that day, by saying that he would buy me a drink if I two putted!  After that, I was so nervous that I putted it up the slope, across the green, and down the slope on the other side. When all was said and done, I had four putted for a six.  I really wanted that par . . . .

    Some of us went for a whisky tasting at that afternoon.  We followed that with a wonderful dinner at the Dornoch Castle Hotel.  

    A great day overall, but Foxy . . . 

    Best,
    John

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    05/15/2019 • 12:58 pm

    Day 7

     

    We left Dornoch and travelled to Inverness by coach this morning. The weather remained quite good. 

    We drove straight to Nairn Golf Club, where we had lunch and headed out for a round on the Nairn Championship course. 

    The golf course itself was not in the best of shape, but you could tell by looking around that it had excellent bones.

    All of our participants were offered a copy of a history of the Nairn Golf Club when we checked in at the pro shop. This day was about both history and the future. They are making significant improvements to the golf course to ready it for the Scottish Amateur tournament a couple of years down the road.

    Nairn looking rough but invitingNairn looking rough but inviting

    After our round, we had the great pleasure of visiting the club archives and being immersed in the history of the game and the club.

    There were any number of old golf clubs, including several which might have been the sort of baffing spoon that Shivas Irons  used to make his late night hole-in-one.

    Nairn museum

    Unlike most museums and archives, at Nairn we were invited to touch the various exhibits. It was a singular experience.

    old golf club collection

    Following our visit to the archives, we had an excellent dinner in the Bullmer Room which is usually reserved for official club functions, with a beautiful view of the sea. 

    lunch at Nairn

    All told, the day was an excellent way to put our tour of these wonderful links courses in context of the long history of the game.

    On to Castle Stewart tomorrow.

    Best,
    John

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    05/16/2019 • 9:58 am

    Day 8

    After an excellent dinner in Inverness and a quiet night at the hotel, we set off to Castle Stuart golf club. This course is somewhat different, in that it is much newer than any of the other courses on which we played during the trip.

    The weather had became cold and windy again. My roommate decided to take the day off, as he was getting very sore and tired from playing golf every day for more than a week.  I should probably have done the  same, but I could not resist seeing this course, which was reputed to be one of the most beautiful seaside courses in Scotland. The course  reminded me of Kingsbarns, near St. Andrews.

    view of castle stuart golf club

    My warm up went well and I set off with a high sense of optimism. It turned out not to be well-founded. Today was a lesson in endurance. By the time I got to the last few holes, I was on my last legs. 

    During this round, we practiced several of the traditions of the Shivas Irons Society.   We played a silent hole, on which we could hear nothing but birds chirping, the rustle of our rain gear, and our own breathing.

    We also played a one-club hole. It is always amazing to me how little difference using only one club makes. It was a medium length par four and I took a lofted hybrid.  I reached the greenside in two shots and three-putted from there, not much different from my results on holes where I had a whole range of clubs available from which to choose.

    Chip shot using wooden club

    Finally, the par three 11th hole, which is somewhat secluded, at the base of a bluff and facing the the sea, we took the opportunity to let out a loud yell before hitting our tee shots.  Some of my foursome seemed to be self-conscious doing it.  As for me, venting my frustrations and filling my lungs with air resulted in a good tee shot and rare good birdie opportunity today!

    As I said, by the end of the 18th hole, I was hobbling and worried about the next day’s golf.  My endurance was sorely tested, but, once again, like everyone else, I persevered.  

    view of castle stuart golf course with ocean in background

    It says something about how tired we were getting that all of us agreed to skip the stop at the scheduled visit to the Culloden battlefield that afternoon.  

    A number of us went for an excellent dinner and a few more hours of singing the praises of golf, before calling it a day. That made eight days of endurance!

     

    Best,
    John

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    05/16/2019 • 10:12 am

    Day 9

    Today, we left relatively early in the morning for Gleneagles, driving along the western edge of the Cairngorms (hills or small mountains) on the way. The hills were snow-covered; beautiful to look at but daunting for golfers hoping to play golf nearby. Fortunately, at Gleneagles, the only parkland and inland golf course on the program, the weather was much improved over the previous day. 

    When I got to the first tee, I was still hobbling, after yesterday’s round at Castle Stuart.  My expectations were not high.  My play on the first few holes was a struggle. 

    If anyone had asked me on the third or fourth hole whether I thought I would finish the round, I would have been uncertain.

    putting at Gleneagles

     

    Once again, the game decided to teach me something.  Out of necessity I started swinging much easier and found that I began striking the ball purely. At first, the shots were not traveling very far, but by the time I got to the back nine, I was hitting some of my best shots of the trip, some of them reasonably far.  In fact, I gave myself two eagle putts on the back nine, one on a driveable par four and the other on the par five 18th hole.

    Bird on a fairway
    Can anyone identify this handsome fellow?

     

    Even better, as the round progressed, my calf pain and hobbling began to lessen.  I guess I walked off the injury.  I was delighted to finish the round feeling as good as I did, much less hitting the ball better than I had for several days.  Sometimes the game is quite merciful and shows us kindnesses.  This can be hard to remember this on days when the bounces are going badly and we hurt, but things do tend to even out.

    In the evening, we had a whisky (and wine for the non-traditionalists) tasting in the cellars of the hotel, followed by a fine dinner. The Gleneagles hotel itself is a lovely old place.  Unfortunately, our day was so long that we did not have an opportunity to use many of the wonderful facilities of the hotel.

    picking the beverage of the evening

     

    On to Prestwick and our last round together in the morning.  

    Best,
    John

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    05/16/2019 • 10:25 am

    Day 10

    I woke up early this morning and decided to take a walk around the Gleneagles Hotel grounds.  It is truly a lovely spot.

    After a very substantial breakfast (I averaged about 22,000 steps per day of walking on this trip, but did not lose a pound, presumably because we ate and drank so well), we boarded the coach for one last ride back to Troon and a round of golf at Prestwick.  

    Prestwick is a marvelous course. It has a number of blind shots.  I always think of a blind shot as being a little like Christmas. You hit the shot and then have to wait until you climb over the hill to see what you got.  

    On this day, we were scheduled to play a Ryder Cup type competition, between the Americans and Canadians in our group.  As a general rule, I do not participate in competitions, preferring to play the game for what it can teach me, but, since it was a team event and I was needed to help balance the numbers on the teams, I agreed to play in this case.  Having said this, my plan was to play the course, not battle it out with my opponent.  It helped that my opponent was a wonderful gentleman and fellow Society member, Gerry Stratford.  

    A photo of our whole group, in front of the Prestwick clubhouse, just before the start of the match is set out below.  

    Group shot before golf

     

    Quite frankly, whether Gerry won or I did, I was happy either way.  I only hoped that we both would play well.  As it turned out, neither of us played as well as we would have liked and it was a close match throughout.  

    Before playing, we had a look around the clubhouse and I purchased a Prestwick belt, which I will always think of as my version of the Open Championship Belt which Tommy Morris took home after winning the Open Championship three times running.  

    John reflection on the trophy case

     

    Before the round, a couple of us wandered over to the Red Lion Pub, the original 19th hole and the place where the professionals met before the first Open Championship in 1860.  It seemed like a fitting spot to visit before our last round on this venerable old course.

    Red Lion Pub

     

    My only regret on the day is that I allowed the caddy of one of my playing companions to irritate me and get me angry on the famous 17th hole, a blind par four. 

    After discussions with my caddie, I took out a 5-wood and decided to try to hit over the mound and bunker guarding the green. The caddy for my playing companion walked by and told me, somewhat derisively that I would never get to the green with that club. I believe I might have made it, but after hearing that comment, I swung extra hard and hit the ball nowhere. This so frustrated me that I then made a total mess of the rest of the hall, ending with a triple bogey. 

    Fortunately, my match had already been decided, so it did not make a difference to the team.  Having said this, I was still annoyed with the caddy when we finished the 18th hole, 20 minutes later.  In my annoyance, I declined to shake hands with him.  While there may have been some justification for what I felt, I feel bad about letting his words get to me on the 17th and how I dealt with it.  A bit of a sad ending to an otherwise excellent day.  The game still has lots more to teach me. 

    That evening, we had one last dinner at the Piersland Hotel. It was a fitting conclusion to an interesting and enjoyable trip.  A photo of the Shivas Irons Society contingent on the trip is set out below. 

    Shivas Irons Society members after golfAuthor John Rousseau on the left
  • 2 May 2019 11:00 AM | Daniel Renteria (Administrator)

    The 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links coincided with the 100 year anniversary of the course and the 27th anniversary of the Shivas Irons Society. Twenty-five Society supporters volunteered as hole marshals for the week and the Society celebrated with festivities at Carmel Beach and a wonderful party at Dave Buckingham and Konny Murray's home in Carmel Valley. The party at Dave and Konny's was a reprise of the celebration of the 2010 U.S. Open. Let's hope we can do it all again in 2027 when the U.S. Open returns to Pebble Beach!

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    07/17/2019 • 4:56 pm

    The beach party on Tuesday afternoon of U.S. Open Week was great fun. There was plenty of food and drink and great conversation. We played a little golf on the sand, even asking Matt Kuchar if he wanted to take a swing as he passed by our party with his wife after a practice round. He politely declined the invitation.

    Beach party golf on the beach

    John Rousseau, Don Davis, and sand golf architect Richard Warren playing off a cliff.

    sunset on the beach

    In typical Shivas Irons Society fashion, we partied on the beach until the sun went down!

     

    DON DAVIS LA JUNTA, CO

    07/19/2019 • 7:19 pm

    It was sunny,it was warm and Pebble Beach was in the distance. I had a wonderful time and met some great people. What is it about golf and especially  people who take golf to a level enjoyed by Shivas Irons brothers and sisters? I may be getting older and my scores are creeping up but my enjoyment of the game is growing. A large number of the people present practiced yoga. I started as soon as I got home and I cannot  believe I waited this long. Well done it was a memorable evening I will cherish for many years.

    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    07/17/2019 • 5:38 pm

    Michael Murphy watching Tiger Woods

    Photo by Alan Shipnuck

    Michael Murphy got an inside the ropes view of Tiger Woods on Thursday of the U.S. Open. GOLF Magazine writer and new Shivas Irons Society member Alan Shipnuck chronicled Michael's day in a wonderful column titled U.S. Open 2019: During a bucket-list day at Pebble Beach, golf philosopher Michael Murphy found a new muse in Tiger Woods


    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    07/17/2019 • 6:19 pm

    On the course on Thursday, Phil Mickelson plotting his escape from the rough on 13.

    Phil Mickelson among the fans Dave and Ben on the 14th hole

    SIS Board Member and Hole Marshal Dave Buckingham with SIS Director Ben Kline on the 14th hole. And below, Dave at work, keeping everyone safe.

    Dave Buckingham

    On the 13th green below, Ernie Els making it look easy even though he would end up missing the cut.

    Ernie Els

    The crowd between the 9th tee box and the 13th fairway:

    the crowd

    And inside the merchandise tent, artist and Shivas Irons Society member Lee Wybranski, signing his official poster of the 2019 U.S. Open....

    Lee Wybranski


    BEN KLINE CARMEL, CA

    08/05/2019 • 10:42 am

    Our week long festivities culminated with a gathering at Dave & Konny's home in Carmel Valley. A wonderful tradition kept vibrant through the generosity of spirit of our hosts, pictured below.  

    Konny Murray & Dave Buckingham

    There was plenty of food, drink and intoxicating conversation!

    party sceneFred and Jo and Jay CookBarbara and Richard Warrenparty scene

    And eventually, all good things must come to an end.... Hope to see everyone again in 2027 at Pebble Beach! 

    puppy

    DON DAVIS LA JUNTA, CO

    02/23/2020 • 7:00 pm

    A wonderful experience. The beach gathering was my first time on carmel beach. Wow. The water looked like Hawaii  until you got in. The dogs romping around and the friendliness of the people were really special. The entire time the 9th and 10th holes of pebble loom in the background. The gathering at Dave and Konnys home was worth the experience of a very steep and exciting drive. The house found me. You never know what  will happen at a Shivas gathering. Being introduced by the starter for 20 + US opens, Ron Read was memorable. Not bad for an old golfer from the prairie of Colorado. Pacific Grove back nine, Eddie Lowrys grave, Cypress Point and Los Laureles lodge all places that the Shivas men and women shared with me.

  • 3 Jan 2019 12:53 PM | Daniel Renteria (Administrator)


    I've often been intrigued about the concept of paradox and how often and in how many ways, it applies in golf. Just to describe a few:

    • swing harder and the ball goes nowhere, but swing easily and it launches like a rocket, sometimes seemingly on a forever trajectory,

    • trying harder to shoot a good score that results in a round plagued by errors and frustration,

    • playing with an intention to impress one's playing partners with results similar to above, contrasted by playing with an infusion of appreciation for the environment and the people around me, and the focus that alludes when trying hard, mystically appears like a friendly shadow showing up as the sun breaks through the clouds.

    What are some of the paradoxes you have experienced in your game?

    Has experience and learning from the paradoxes you've noticed influenced how you play or practice?

    And if so, what have you noticed?

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