Showing posts with label Banks Course. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Banks Course. Show all posts

Monday, August 01, 2011

Can baseball MVP Ken Griffey Jr. defeat LPGA great Annika Sorenstam in golf event?

A nine-hole celebrity skins challenge will decide whether an LPGA former number-one golfer, Annika Sorenstam, still has the sharp skills needed to defeat baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr., who is said to be a one-handicap golfer.

Sorenstam, the former number-one LPGA golfer in the world and now in charge of the ANNIKA brand of businesses, will host the ninth annual Charity Golf Classic at Forsgate Country Club in New Jersey this October. Annika has not played professionally since her retirement/baby announcement but that doesn't necessarily mean that her skills are rusty. I give the slight edge to Griffey, though, who plays golf regularly in celebrity outings.

Charity golf events at Forsgate Country Club have always attracted the finest PGA and LPGA Tour professionals including Palmer, Trevino, Lopez and even John Daly to the two challenging and distinct Palmer and Banks courses. The Banks Course is listed as a "Top-Fifty Course" in the Metropolitan area in The Met Golfer Magazine and the Country Club has received many accolades for service and value, most recently by GolfStyles Magazine.

From experiencing the Banks Course personally at this year's Writer Cup (and from prior Forsgate golf events), I can say that the very deep soft-sand bunkers, blind holes and the links design make the golf course deceptively difficult for most amateur players. For top golfers like Sorenstam and Griffey, struggles may come from the "heavily-sculptured contours on the putting surface", as stated by golf journalist Dave Donelson.


Forsgate_banks_hole_1
The first hole on the Banks Golf Course at Forsgate Country Club


After a terrific round of golf on the well-maintained Banks Course and a delightful dinner on the patio (oh those lobsters are delicious!), golf writers received a personal video message from Sorenstam asking us to tweet her with the winner of the day's event and invited us to join her at this year's Classic. Yes, I sent her a tweet but not seeking congratulations as the NJ/Philadephia team of writers took home the honors once again.


Forsgate_country_club
Hmmm...My favorite part of our yearly MGWA Golf Outing?


You too can join Sorenstam and Griffey at the 9th Annual Forsgate Golf Charity Classic which, in addition to the celebrity skins exhibition and challenge, also features its Golf Classic on the Banks Course with silent auction and reception to follow.


There are several ways in which to secure tickets to the Sorenstam/Griffey Golf Charity Challenge.

Visit Forsgatecc.com, call (732) 656-8911, log on to www.forsgatefoundation.org, and/or visit them on Facebook.


Voice your opinion on Twitter at Golf4Beginners ...who will win, Sorenstam or Griffey Jr.?



Friday, November 19, 2010

Forsgate Golf and Country Club number one in GolfStyles Magazine

The readers of GolfStyles New Jersey magazine have just voted Forsgate Golf and Country Club the “No. 1 Private Club Value” and the “No. 1 Family Club” in its 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards.  Forsgate also claimed top-ten spots in the categories of “Best Private Golf Course” and “Best Restaurant,” among others. 




GolfStyles polled more than 47,000 of its Garden State, New Jersey readers for the fall 2010 awards issue. I am very proud of Forsgate but not surprised. Once a year, local golf writers are invited to play the "Writer's Cup" on the Banks Course. The natural beauty of the golf course coupled with the delightful service of the staff truly makes Forsgate Country Club a winner in my book! Oh, and I cannot forget the delicious lobster!


Forsgate’s Banks Course has been one of the state’s most celebrated tracks, and it is on The Met Golfer magazine’s list of the “Top Fifty Courses in the Met Area.”


Forsgate also offers The Palmer Course, an 18-hole traditional American design that is highlighted by water on ten of its scenic holes. To accompany its award-winning golf, Forsgate boasts a first-class golf staff.  The club’s Director of Golf Carolyn McKenzie Andrews has been named one of the “Top-50 Kids Teachers in the United States,” while assistant golf professionals Scott Barnaby, Mark Mazzola and former PGA TOUR pro Bobby Gage are among the area’s most sought-after instructors.


Bobby Gage is great at giving easy-to-understand golf tips, using the basics and imagery to ingrain proper technique, as I learned during our recent outing at Forsgate CC.



“Our team stays focused every day on creating and maintaining value to our members and customers, and we appreciate the recognition from GolfStyles’ readers,” said RDC Chief Executive Officer Christopher Schiavone. “Our great facilities are part of that value, but it’s our staff and present membership that are most important to making Forsgate Country Club a special place for single golfers and families alike.”


Forsgate Golf and Country Club is also committed to helping local charities, raising over $200,000 since 2003 for worthwhile causes! Recently Forsgate hosted a golf skins and skills game with Annika Sorenstam and J.B. Holmes.



Interested in becoming a member at Forsgate Country Club? Call Director of Membership Carol Rutherford at (732) 656-8914.


About Forsgate Country Club (www.forsgatecc.com)
Forsgate is an exclusive, full service, family-oriented private country club located in the heart of New Jersey.  Forsgate offers permanent golf, sports and social memberships for individuals, families and corporations.  Established in 1931, Forsgate Country Club features 36 holes of world-class golf, including the renowned Banks Course, designed to recreate historic holes throughout Europe, and the Palmer Course, which is a traditional American course with challenging water hazards on ten of its scenic holes.  The country club also offers facilities for banquet events and corporate meetings as well as a new state-of-the-art sports complex that includes a fitness center, pool and cabana cafe.  Forsgate Country Club, which is located midway between New York City and Philadelphia at Exit 8A of the NJ Turnpike, is owned and operated by RDC Golf Group, Inc.



About RDC Golf Group (www.rdcgolfgroup.com)
Founded in 1993, RDC has rapidly become a recognized industry leader in golf course ownership and management whose properties have garnered numerous golf course and hospitality awards. RDC owns and operates the renowned Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, New Jersey, and the private, family-oriented Tuscawilla Country Club in Orlando, Florida.  RDC currently manages the award-winning Tallgrass Country Club in Shoreham, New York and the public Putnam National Golf Club in Mahopac, New York.




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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Forsgate Country Club hosts golf writers with third annual Writer Cup Tournament

Tomorrow marks the third annual "Writer Cup", a tradition begun by Forsgate Country Club to celebrate golf writers of the MET/GAP regions.

There are two courses at Forsgate CC, the Banks and Palmer Courses. We're invited to play the historic Banks Course which is lush and deeply bunkered as compared to the Palmer Course which is laden with water hazards. I prefer sand to water any day on a golf course!

Designed in 1931 by Charles “Steamshovel” Banks, the Banks Course is a par 71 which stretches to 6,844 yards from the tournament tees and is a true test of skills for the above average golfer. This is probably why I'll stick with the forward tees during this tournament!




Forsgate Country Club, Banks Course




Here are some recent accolades about Forsgate Country Club:

  • Jersey Golfer Winter 2006 Magazine ranked the Banks Golf Course at Forsgate Country Club #10 among the top 50 Best Golf Courses in the state of New Jersey.
  • "The Met Area's Top 50 Courses", The Met Golfer, April 2007
  • "The Best of Northeast Golf"; 2007: "Best Conditioned Golf Course" and "Best Overall Course" Lists
  • Named "2007 Club of the Year", by the NJ Chaper of National Golf Course Owners Association

Prior to the round there will be individual and team short game skills competition and an instructional clinic. At last year's event I received a great drill from golf professional Gia Bocra-Liwski.

Yes, I'll enjoy the golf (no matter how well I score) but, honestly, I can't wait for the renowned Steak and Lobster Dinner. Served in the Main Clubhouse, Forsgate CC goes to great lengths to provide a memorable time for the golf writers.