In Search of Burningbush: A Story of Golf, Friendship and the Meaning of Irons
A venerable golf motif--buddies on a road trip--plays out in Konik's embellished telling of a recent pilgrimage to the sport's ancient Scottish birthplaces. Golf journalist Konik and casino card dealer Don are both low handicappers. Konik is the skeptical, analytical player; Don dares not discount the divine and is an acolyte of the metaphysical novelGolf in the Kingdom,by Michael Murphy (1972). Both duffers, naturally, suffer from a host of problems (Don, severe arthritis and a smoking habit; Konik, memories of loves lost), which are alleviated, at least for a while, by playing the game on the historic courses. Musing with craggy caddies and clubhouse raconteurs, our American pals learn that few in Scotland know Murphy's book or care about Shivas Irons' exploits with his shillelagh. Undismayed, they reenact the scene of Shivas' midnight hole-in-one and otherwise eat and drink golf for their two-week journey. The border between fact and fiction is amusingly vague here, to the enjoyable entertainment of fans ofKingdom,one of the most popular golf novels ever.Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved