Forest Hills at Forest Hills Country Club

Forest Hills Country Club sits in Rockford, Illinois, where it was designed by Tom Bendelow, one of the most prolific golf architects of the early twentieth century. Bendelow, a Scottish immigrant who worked extensively for the A.G. Spalding sporting goods company, laid out hundreds of courses across the American Midwest and beyond during the 1900s through 1930s. His designs typically featured straightforward routing adapted to available terrain, with an emphasis on playability for the average golfer rather than severe championship tests.

The course occupies rolling terrain characteristic of northern Illinois, where mature tree growth frames fairways and defines playing corridors. Bendelow's work at this scale often incorporated modest elevation changes and natural land movement without extensive earthwork, allowing the property's existing contours to guide strategy. The layout reflects the design sensibilities of its era, when courses were built to accommodate walking and featured greens and hazards positioned according to practical construction methods and maintenance considerations of the time.

Forest Hills serves as a traditional member club in Rockford, a mid-sized industrial city along the Rock River. The facility has provided golf to the local community for decades, maintaining the kind of neighborhood club atmosphere common to many Bendelow designs that have survived into the modern era. The course represents a period when golf architecture prioritized accessibility and steady play over dramatic features or tournament ambitions.