Forrester was born at 85 Port Street, Glasgow, Scotland, the son of James Forrester and Jane McIntyre. His father was a ship rigger and boatman in the Coastguard Service. The family home was at Cairnryan House, Inch, Wigtown. Forrester and his siblings attended the Nicholson Institute at Stornoway. In May 1905, he moved to North Berwick and the family lived in the Coastguard Cottages on Melbourne Road. In 1905, Jack and his younger brother William toted bags as caddies on the West Links. Jack attended North Berwick Public School before becoming a postman. As a member of Rhodes Golf Club in North Berwick, he won the Haldane Cup and Maxwell Shield in 1911 at the age of 17. He also posted an amateur record score of 71 for the Glen Course in 1913.
Forrester qualified for the U.S. Open from 1921 to 1935 with his best finish being fourth place in 1923. He was a contestant in the 1921 PGA Championship, suffering a first round defeat against Walter Hagen. He did better in the 1923 PGA Championship when he won a first round match against Herbert Nicoll 6 and 4, but lost in the round of 32 against Jack Stait by the slim margin of 1 up. Also in 1923, Forrester came third in the New Jersey Open. He had great success in the years from 1926 through 1936 and won the Mid-South Open at Pinehurst, North Carolina, in 1928 and the New Jersey State Pro/Am on a number of occasions. Not unlike other professionals in his day, Forrester traveled south in the winter months to play in tournaments to stay sharp and earn money. He played events in Texas, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, and California.
1923 U.S. Open
The 1923 U.S. Open was the 27th U.S. Open, held 13–15 July at Inwood Country Club in Inwood, New York, a suburb east of New York City. Bobby Jones, age 21, captured his first career major championship by defeating Bobby Cruickshank in an 18-hole Sunday playoff. Forrester played excellent golf himself and finished in fourth place, winning $200 in prize money. He carded rounds of 75-73-77-78=303 and finished one stroke behind third place finisher Jock Hutchison.
Death and legacy
Forrester died on 4 August 1964 in Chatham and is interred in Chatham cemetery. He was elected president of the New Jersey PGA. From 1955 until his death, Forrester was the pro at Eastward Ho! Country Club in Chatham, Massachusetts, which reminded him of North Berwick in his birth country of Scotland.
Note: Forrester never played in the Masters Tournament or The Open Championship. ? = Unknown "T" = Tied for a place R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play Yellow background for top-10 Sources:
