As big fans of Seth Raynor courses, we were thrilled when we got the news we’d be fortunate enough to play the Banks course at Forsgate Country Club. Designed by Raynor associate Charles Banks, the course often ranks in the top 25 in the golf rich state of New Jersey, competing with the likes of heavyweights such as Pine Valley, Somerset Hills, and Baltusrol amongst many others.
Charles Banks started his career as an English teacher in Connecticut until he met Seth Raynor, who was tasked with building the course at Yale University at the time. Banks was compelled with course design after assisting Raynor on the Yale project, and decided to join the Raynor firm full time. From there, he completed 10 of Raynor’s unfinished courses, and designed 13 of his own before his unexpected death in 1931.
For the most part, Banks flies under the radar, but he comes across as a hidden gem architect to us and others familiar with his work. Nicknamed “Steam Shovel” for the machinery he used to create dramatic deep bunkering, his name isn’t often mentioned in the company of his revered associates C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor. However, Forsgate is testament that this is an oversight and Banks more than held his own.
As you could expect, Raynor/MacDonald influence is all over this course, with the quartet of par 3s being as good as any in New Jersey and reinforcing the identity this design lineage has been celebrated for for decades.
First Impressions
Just 15 minutes from my hometown, Forsgate Country Club is conveniently located in central New Jersey and is virtually equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia.
Upon pulling into the club, you’re greeted with a classic Clifford Wendehack clubhouse. We’d love to spotlight Wendehack’s notable work at Winged Foot and Mountain Ridge amongst others, and will do so in another post. Clubhouse architecture can be pushed aside at times, but we find it contributes so much to the overall experience at a club and think it should be highlighted.
We swung by the pro shop to pay our guest fee and pick up obligatory logo balls for the collection. The shop is well stocked, and I regret not buying a specific Greyson polo that caught my eye. Next time!
There were about 30 minutes before our tee time, so we met up with our host and swung over to the range. The grass range was well appointed with Callaway practice balls and targets with yardages. There’s also a large putting green with undulations similar to the wild ride we’d be greeted with on the Banks course.
Following our warmup we were off, and we couldn’t wait to experience this design for ourselves.
The Course
Design: Charles Banks
Year Built: 1931
Yardage: 6578 (Tips), 6308 (Member/Blue), 5890 (White), 5458 (Red)
Rating: 72.5 (Tips), 71.3 (Member/Blue), 69.5 (White), 67.5 (Red)
Accessibility: Private
Cost: Accompanied Guest Fee
The Front 9
Just steps from the range is the first tee, and it sets the stage nicely for the round ahead. Flanked by flags on the right and the Forsgate clock to the left, it’s a classy and approachable setting for your first swing of the day.
The first is a relatively straightforward par 4 titled “Prepatory” that plays over rolling fairways and slightly uphill. A fairway bunker comes into play on the right side, but it’s a fairly generous tee shot to start the round.
The wow factors on this course are undoubtedly the greens and bunkers, and you’re introduced them right out of the gate. A bunker defends the left side , but the right houses a deep bunker that’s more punishing. The green slants to the right and feeds towards the backside.
The second is another par 4 that feels reminiscent of the first with some slight changes. The tee box is set to the left of the rolling fairway and feels a bit narrower than the first. Avoiding the fairway bunker on the left makes the hole manageable, and a scoring opportunity with well placed shots.
The opening holes represent a gentle handshake, but this quickly comes to a halt with a 3rd hole that begins to reveal the teeth of the course.
A ruthless par 3, the 3rd is an outstanding example of the Eden template and is one of the most difficult par 3s I’ve played.
There’s a lot to take into consideration off the tee. The green has Strath and Shelley bunkers on the left and right side, with yet another bunker long. Playing 190 yards, a steep false front defends against any short shots. The bunker on the right side is over 10 feet deep, and there’s a ridge separating green down the middle.
If that wasn’t enough, the green slopes severely from back to front, making escaping the bunker behind the green extremely treacherous and putts running off the green entirely possible. An eye watering, brutal par 3.
The 4th is titled “Hog’s Back”, a feature that shows itself on the green. The hole is a downhill par 4 that is rather easy with a strong tee shot, but isn’t receptive to a poor effort on the first shot.
The fairway sends good drives tumbling towards the hole for an easy birdie opportunity. The hole is named Hog’s Back because of a subtle raise in the green shaped like a hog’s back. It’s subtle enough that it was difficult to grab photos of it, but it comes into play on front pin placements and adds another layer of complexity to the green. I had a short birdie putt that rode down the hog’s back and missed leaving a tester for par. While I was fortunate to make it, the front pin placement on this hole makes for challenging putts riding towards the front of the green.
Hole #5 is a stellar par 4 highlighted by the punchbowl green at the end of it. It plays uphill and is a dogleg left, with shots on the left side of the fairway leading to one of the few blind approach shots on the course.
The punchbowl on this green is really well executed and is one of many great architectural features at Forsgate.
The 6th is a short par 4 without much to write home about off the tee. However, the positioning of your drive dictates the difficulty of your approach. Our host let us know about this as it’s impossible to tell from the tee box.
A mound flanked by a bunker guards almost the entire left side of the green, making a view of the putting surface nearly impossible unless you’re far to the right of the fairway. Any long or right approach shot is in serious trouble as the green falls off drastically on the backside with a deep bunker guarding the right. The green is severe and bowl shaped to the right, making what appears to be an innocent short par 4 more intricate than it seems.
The 7th is the next of the template par 3s, this time a Redan but actually a reverse Redan as the hole slopes left to right. At 189 yards, it’s an outstanding example of a Redan that plays quite difficult.
Tee shots from the elevated tee box run towards the back of the green which is defended by bunkers on both sides. The bunker on the left is especially deep and leads to treacherous blind recovery shots as the green slopes away from you. The right bunker is massive and eats anything short and right up. Our host mentioned that any pin placements to the left or front are devilish, and it’s easy to see why.
Following this stern par 3 is the first of consecutive par 5s to tie the front 9 together.
The 8th is deemed “Long”, and while the hole is straight, it’s not without defining features and challenges.
Measuring 551 yards from the member tees and over 600 from the back tees, the hole often plays longer as it is uphill and directly into the wind in most cases.
The fairway slants to the left all the way to the hole, increasing in severity as it approaches the green. The green is elevated and flanked by bunkers like many of the greens at Forsgate. If navigating the slanted fairway wasn’t enough, this is what awaits any approach shot left and short.
While the 8th is a strong par 5, we actually enjoyed the 9th even more.
I love the look of the fairway on the tee shot here, and while this hole is about 80 yards shorter than the previous, it has just as much if not more character.
Getting over the ridge off the tee brings going for the green in two into play, and it’s important to favor the right side of the fairway as the slope feeds balls to the left in a similar fashion to the 8th. Many players will have a blind second shot up the ridge, and the danger on approach is on the left side with yet another deep bunker. Going long (like I did) is also punishing!
Overall, this is a fair and scorable par 5 that’s punishing in the case of lacked execution. We loved it and could play par 5s like this repeatedly without getting bored.
The Back 9
The back 9 starts with a great par 4 that we rated as one of the stronger holes on the course. Starting from an elevated position, tee shots clear a valley that shouldn’t come into play and feeds to a generous fairway. Longer hitters should have no problem clearing the plateau fairway to another valley that works itself back up to the hole.
A long drive leaves a short wedge into the elevated green, with the bunker on the right posing the most significant danger. However, it’s easy to find trouble on the left as well, as two bunkers and tall grass reside to torment players who thought they had a great drive down the left side. The green is two tiered making pin placement a key factor in the difficulty of the hole (a common theme emphasized at this course).
If there’s a weaker hole on the back, it’s the short par 4 11th. It is fairly redundant with the 10th with less length at 349 yards and less slope to the fairway. Shayne played this hole about as well as you could, piping a drive to about 50 yards in before pitching and putting for birdie.
Any shortcomings on the 11th are quickly forgotten about on the 12th, perhaps the most well known hole at Forsgate.
An exceptional short par 3, most Google image searches of Forsgate will highlight professional photos of this hole such as this:
A truly special green complex and one of Banks’s most well known, the Horseshoe 12th is a marvel. From the tee, it’s difficult to get a true appreciation for the undulation of the horseshoe, but the circular green and surrounding bunkers make for a memorable shot nonetheless.
With the pin to the right and my tee shot on the fringe in front of it, I didn’t have to deal with the horseshoe unfortunately. I was hoping to get the full experience on this hole and hopefully next time I will.
However, Shayne did a great job on his lag putt from about 30 feet from the middle of the horseshoe to make par. Walking up to the green shows the severity of the ridges of this unforgettable green.
It’s a testament to this course that such a visually appealing, unique hole isn’t the unanimous signature par 3 on the course let alone the back nine. More on that later!
Working back towards the direction of the clubhouse is the par 5 13th. Perhaps the easiest of the par 5s on the course, we found the wavy appearance of the fairway particularly appealing off the tee. It is generous, and clearing the fairway bunker to the left puts you in position to score.
Players carrying the ridge will be in excellent position to go for the green in two as There isn’t much danger to speak of on the rolling fairway leading up to the green, which is protected by a bunker on the left that isn’t as imposing as the majority of the others around the course.
I was fortunate to recover from a poor drive with a strong hybrid shot and stuck a wedge from 85 yards out to about 5 feet for my first birdie of the day.
The 14th is similar to the 10th and 11th, with the par 4s to begin the back 9 coming across a bit repetitive. Once again straight out without much danger to speak of, the green is guarded by a deep bunker on the right but doesn’t feature anything else overly noteworthy. Shayne attacked this hole well en route to his 2nd birdie on the back 9.
The 15th is a short dogleg left par 4 playing 318 yards. It’s called “Chocolate Drop” due to the Hershey Kiss shaped mound in the bunker about 100 yards from the green on the left side. Unfortunately, I sliced my tee shot and made such a mess of this hole going bunker to bunker on the right side that I forgot to get a photo of this feature. Shame on me! Instead I can show the 2nd bunker of the hole that I was forced to overcome. Did someone say double bogey?
The finishing 3 holes are Forsgate make up our favorite set of finishing holes we’ve been able to play including what I think is my favorite hole I’ve played altogether thus far.
Starting with 16, a par 4 playing a touch over 400 yards with the clubhouse as the backdrop, the final stretch begins with a wide landing area without much in the way of hazards coming into play off the tee. There’s a fairway bunker to the left, but it’s short enough that it shouldn’t have much impact. It’s definitely preferable to end up on the right side as trees line the left side of the fairway for the majority of it.
This hole is as challenging as you make it with the execution of your shots. Slight misses aren’t brutal here but you’ll be punished for significant errors. There’s a bunker on the right of the green that isn’t too deep relatively speaking.
The strength of the hole is the two tiered green with a sunken middle portion, which was a blast to experiment with on a couple of chips. Luck prevailed on my first attempt, turning what I thought was a poorly placed chip about 30 feet to the right of the hole into a tap in for par as a result of riding the slope towards the hole. We’ll call it a member’s “read” for this guest on this day.
This brings us to the 17th, a scintillating par 3 that is on the short list of our favorite holes we’ve played to date and our favorite hole on the course.
A phenomenal example of the Biarritz template, this hole has so many intriguing factors to it. Word is its amongst the best executed Biarritz holes out there in the company of Yale’s example, and we can see why.
The combination of pin placements and tee boxes are endless and can turn this hole into a variety of adventures, but we were excited to see the pin in the middle of the swale on our day at the course.
Playing 201 to the middle pin from the member tees, a back pin position from the tips can play up to 280 yards! The green is 83 yards in length and 16,000 square feet, with bunkers running down the entirety of both sides.
I ended up in the bunker on the left and had to settle for bogey, while Shayne’s tee shot ended perfectly in the swale en route to a strong par.
Pictures don’t do the severity of the slope justice, and it’s a hole we won’t forget. It checks all the boxes of a classic Biarritz playing over 200 yards with the ability to run the ball up and through the swale, and the long bunkers flanking both sides.
A true exclamation point on a stellar set of par 3s, with each seeming better than the last. I’d be hard pressed to find a better set of par 3s in the state (unless we’re lucky enough to play Pine Valley one day), and it was a blast to play these classic templates for the first time. We felt like we were experiencing architecture of another level, and they gave the course a special feel to it.
The finishing hole is no joke either.
Titled “Purgatory”, this brute of a par 4 is as scenic as it is challenging. Playing 398 yards from the member tees and 445 from the tips, we viewed this as the most difficult hole on the back 9.
Similar to the 10th, the fairway rises up and over a ridge, dipping before steeply ascending towards the green. The hole is properly named after the large, 10+ foot deep bunker on the right of the green which I found myself in purgatory in, but anywhere off of this left to right sloping green leaves for a challenging up and down.
A great finishing hole with the clubhouse steps away.
Final Thoughts
When thinking of the course and how to summarize it, I bring myself back to the origins of the club and the vision founder John Forster had for the over 50 acres of land he purchased on which Forsgate sits today.
A Scottish immigrant, John Forster was an avid golfer, and commissioned Charles Banks to build a course on his land in hopes of a club that he’d be able to enjoy playing himself. A decision that proved to be outstanding, as this is a course I’d never get bored of playing as a member.
The land itself isn’t overly inspiring, and it shows how an outstanding designer can turn what was once bland into a canvas of art.
Banks did a stellar job fusing classic Raynor templates with individual character to make this design unmistakably his. The bunkering is dramatic throughout, and escaping these hazards is exceedingly treacherous (a Banks signature) in contrast to Raynor’s more forgiving bunkering style.
Living just 15 minutes away from the club for over 20 years and recently going down the rabbit hole of club rankings and things of the sort, it’s head scratching that this course flies under the radar to the extent that it does. It’s a gem of architecture that I eagerly look forward to approaching again and again.
Pros
-All world set of par 3s
-Greens and bunkers are phenomenal and make the course a true reflection of Banks
-Clifford Wendehack clubhouse provides a classic backdrop
Cons
-5 hour round (Friday 1pm tee time), the course was backed up but our host said weekday pace is usually sub 4 hours
-Conditioning was uneven in spots, will add that we were in the midst of a dry heatwave so I’m sure this isn’t always the case
-A few redundant par 4s on the back 9
Favorite Holes
Mike: 17
Shayne: 17
(An argument could be made for any of the par 3s along with the finishing 18th in our opinion)
What Would We Pay?
We’d love to be members here and from my research I’ve gathered that membership is pretty reasonably priced. On a per round basis we’d pay up to $225 to experience Banks’s work here, and a bump more if the course was in prime condition.
Final Score
7
See how we score here
What did you think of the Banks course at Forsgate? Let us know which of the par 3s was your favorite in the comments below!