Forsgate Presents Colin Montgomerie

Ryder Cup got you down? Would you like to know how the Europeans keep smacking us around?  Those would be great questions to ask one of the Ryder Cup’s most successful competitors, Colin Montgomerie, so mark your calendar for October 6.  That's when he'll be appearing at Forsgate Country Club in New Jersey.  Everyone is welcome to come meet the Ryder Cup legend and Forsgate touring ambassador at a special “Ryder Cup Roundup” Brunch and Golf Clinic.

Admission is only $40 and is open to golf enthusiasts throughout the tri-state area. Reservations are required and space is limited. To register, call 732-656-8904.

Beginning at 10 a.m. in Forsgate’s elegant Restaurant “37,” Montgomerie will visit with fans during brunch, share stories about Ryder Cups past and present as well as discuss his recent success on the Champions Tour. Following brunch, Montgomerie will head to the first tee of the renowned Banks Course for a clinic that will showcase his legendary skills and will offer tips on how the average golfer can improve his or her game.

A record eight-time winner of the European Tour Order of Merit, Montgomerie is perhaps best known by Americans for his Ryder Cup prowess. ‘Monty’, as he is affectionately known, competed as a member of eight victorious European Ryder Cup teams and captained the winning 2010 European Ryder Cup team at Celtic Manor. He never lost a singles match against the Americans.

Currently, Montgomerie is ranked No. 2 on the Champions Tour, behind only Bernhard Langer. This season, Montgomerie claimed his first Major Championship and his first professional win in the United States with a four stroke victory at the Senior PGA Championship. Montgomerie followed up with his second senior major win at the U.S. Senior Open and finished second in this year’s Senior British Open Championship.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Colin Montgomerie Gets New Jersey Connection

Colin Montgomerie

Senior PGA Championship winner and Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie will represent Forsgate Country Club and Shackamaxon Country Club in New Jersey as their touring ambassador. Both Forsgate and Shackamaxon are affiliated with RDC Golf Group, Inc., a New Jersey-based golf course ownership and management company.

Over the next year, members of Forsgate and Shackamaxon may be fortunate to see honorary member Montgomerie at their facilities as he participates in charitable events, showcasing his legendary skills and sharing stories about Ryder Cups past and present. In addition, Montgomerie now sports the Forsgate Country Club logo on the side of his visor as he competes on the European and Champions Tours. Throughout the year, members may also have the opportunity to meet and to watch Montgomerie as he competes on Tour.

A record eight-time winner of the European Tour Order of Merit and of 42 professional tour events worldwide, Montgomerie is perhaps best known by Americans for his Ryder Cup prowess.  ‘Monty’, as he is affectionately known, competed as a member of eight victorious European Ryder Cup Teams and captained the winning 2010 European Ryder Cup Team at Celtic Manor. He never lost in a singles match against the Americans.

Currently, Montgomerie is competing in his second season on the Champions Tour, and his achievements have continued.  On May 25, 2014, Montgomerie claimed his first Major Championship victory and his first professional win in the United States with a four stroke victory at the Senior PGA Championship. Montgomerie has also finished in the top-ten in six out of the seven other Champions Tour events he has entered in 2014, including a second place finish at the Toshiba Classic.

“I am very proud to be partnering with Forsgate, a club that was founded by a Scotsman and that boasts a highly-respected course designed with Scottish inspiration,” said Montgomerie. “I am also excited to be associated with the nearly century old Shackamaxon Country Club and look forward to testing my golf skills on one of A.W. Tillinghast’s classic designs.”

“Colin Montgomerie is not only one of the most recognizable names in the game of golf, he is one of the favorite sons of golf’s birthplace,” said RDC Golf Group Chief Executive Officer Christopher Schiavone.  “The spirit of Scotland’s golf courses is present throughout Forsgate, from its Scottish founder John Forster, to the inspiration that architect Charles Banks found from courses such as North Berwick and Carnoustie.  At Shackamaxon Country Club, Monty will be able to play a great course designed a century ago by the legendary A.W. Tillinghast.”

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Tee Shots Count at Forsgate CC's Banks Course

Forsgate Banks Course #15 "Chocolate Drop"

The Banks Course at Forsgate CC is justifiably renowned for spectacular greens and bunker complexes shaped by Charles "Steam Shovel" Banks. What's often overlooked, however, is the importance of accurate, thoughtful play from tee to green on the Monroe Township, NJ, course. Hit it wrong off the tee and par becomes much, much harder (if not impossible) on most of the holes.

The need for strategic driving is easily ignored when you see some of the seemingly generous fairways like the one on the first hole. "Preparatory," as it is named, is only 384 yards, but shots to the right half of the fairway will leave you with an approach over the first of many cavernous bunkers you'll face throughout the day.

Another short par four, the 347-yard fourth, demonstrates another Banks design principle. A well-struck tee ball will find a level landing area with a clear shot to the "Hog's Back" green. Anything else--even in the fairway--will have an uneven lie and/or an obstructed approach. You'll see the same design feature on the course's longest hole, the 603-yard eighth, and it's back-to-back par five cousin, the ninth, where two plateaus serve as landing areas. Miss either one and you'll have serious side-hill issues.

Banks also made judicious use of cross bunkers and other fairway features. The tenth hole, a 416-yard tester named "Valley" not only has a namesake ravine to navigate but a series of fescue-fringed cross bunkers to keep long hitters honest. The short (330 yards) confounding fifteenth holes features a narrow fairway that slopes right so that even straight tee shots are pushed into the rough. The answer, to hug the left side of the fairway from the tee, brings the eponymous "Chocolate Drop" bunker into play in the left rough.

None of this is to say that the Banks Course greens can be taken for granted. As I've written before, they are simply spectacular. My point is that you can't take the rest of the course for granted, either. The Banks Course deserves to be cherished as a full test of your game.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Paula Creamer (Beauty) vs. Gary McCord (Beast) at Forsgate

If, like me, you're old enough to remember when top female tennis player Billie Jean King defeated the motormouth chauvinist Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973, you won't want to miss  the big event coming to Forsgate Country Club in Monroe, NJ. Now, nearly 40 years later, another fun but epic battle looms between LPGA Star Paula Creamer and CBS Sports Commentator Gary McCord  on Oct. 6-7, 2012 in a match to raise money for Make-A-Wish New Jersey and other local charities supported by the Forsgate Foundation.

photo courtesy of Forsgate

As if the match itself weren't reason enough to attend, irreverent Golf Channel star David Feherty will provide live color and analysis of the head-to-head stroke play match for a purse of $10,000. Creamer and McCord will be hitting from the same tees on the renowned Banks Course at Forsgate.

“When I heard I was playing Paula, I thought of advice my dear mom gave me when I was a kid,” McCord said. "She told me to always play nice especially with girls….I never listened to mom. Beating Paula will be fun and another win in my already memorable career.” Much like the hustler Riggs, McCord is known as much for his bluster as for his play, although he boasts a long professional golf career on both the PGA and Champions Tours. But, while he may have faced the likes of “The Golden Bear” and “The Shark,” McCord has never teed off against “The Pink Panther.”

photo courtesy of Forsgate

“I’m playing against Gary McCord? You mean the CBS golf commentator? I didn’t even realize he played golf!”  Creamer said with more than a bit of sarcasm. Creamer, an 11-time professional tour winner and 2010 U.S. Women’s Open Champion, is currently ranked No. 13 in the world.

As for his opinion, Feherty, host of The Golf Channel’s highly rated show of the same name, put it bluntly: “Battle of the Sexes? It’s more like Beauty versus the Beast. My money is with Paula…there was a reason McCord was 0 for 422 in PGA Tour Tournament wins. Plus, I love pink.”

The Forsgate “Battle of the Sexes” features two days of golf and entertainment and a myriad of opportunities for involvement. The event begins on Saturday evening, Oct. 6, with a cocktail reception and live and silent auction featuring unique sports memorabilia, travel packages and “dream” days. The energy in the room will reach a fever pitch as LPGA superstar Creamer will come face-to-face for the first time with the devilishly-mustached McCord.

photo courtesy of Forsgate

On Sunday, Oct. 7, registrants will enjoy a morning 18-hole golf tournament that includes photo opportunities with the stars. Forsgate Country Club will open to the public at 2 p.m. when Feherty will host a skills demonstration with Creamer and McCord. At 3 p.m., the action moves to the first tee of the celebrated Banks Course for the opening shots of the “Battle of the Sexes.”

Golf Tournament Participant packages (both individual and foursome) are available and include admission into all of “The Battle of the Sexes” activities. Raffle Tickets for the chance to win a new 2012 Mercedes Benz C-250 are $12.50 each or 10 for $100. Individual Gallery Tickets for the skills demonstration and “The Battle” are $10 each or $25 for individual clubhouse passes. For more information on registration, to buy raffle or gallery tickets, call (732) 656-8911, visit www.forsgatecc.com or www.forsgatefoundation.org.

So…whose team are you on? Pick a side and join in the conversation on the Forsgate Foundation Facebook page and on Twitter. The question of whether #girlsgolfbetter or #boysgolfbetter will be answered on Oct. 6-7, 2012, at the #ForsgateBattleOfTheSexes.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf