That maiden victory in the Far East – he won again in Madeira in 2008 – means he can walk straight on to the Legends Tour when he turns 50 in February.
“It’s one of the perks of being a tour winner although the senior circuit certainly didn’t cross my mind when I won my first title,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’ve officially joined the Legends Tour and I’m good to go. It’ll get the juices going again.”
Not that the juices have dried up. He may have stepped away from the main tour a decade ago, but Forsyth has kept his competitive instincts sharp on the domestic Tartan Tour while juggling a busy coaching diary at the bustling Mearns Castle facility.
The 49-year-old continues to display the kind of multi-tasking qualities of a Swiss army knife and his efforts in aiding all walks of golfing life have been recognised with a nomination for the Coach of the Year gong at the Scottish Golf Awards.
“It’s pretty full on at Mearns Castle,” said Forsyth, who has nurtured the talents of the 2024 Scottish Amateur champion, Alexander Farmer, for the past few seasons.
“One minute I can be coaching someone like Alexander, who is playing at a very high level, the next I’m teaching a complete beginner.
“I cover all the bases, and you do get a great buzz from helping people who only took up the game maybe six months ago but are now booking a golf holiday to Tenerife because they love it and they are improving.
“Golf is such an individual game and the different challenges you get presented with as a coach keeps you on your toes. You have different abilities, different ages, different characters. It’s certainly not a one-size-fits-all model.
“I worked with some great coaches during my career, from Ian Rae to Bob Torrance, Adam Hunter and Pete Cowen. I learned bits from them all that will stay with me for ever.
“But because it worked for me, it may not work for somebody else. You always have to put yourself in the golfer’s shoes, whether that’s an elite player or an 18-handicapper preparing for Saturday medal.
“We are all so very different. And that’s the wonderful thing about golf.
“I have loads of experience to pass on and that’s a great attribute. If I could go back, with what I know now, I’d probably be a much better player. Then again, sometimes ignorance is bliss.”
A mainstay of the European circuit for a decade or so, Forsyth, who finished ninth in the US PGA Championship in 2008, began to struggle towards the end of the noughties.
“I went back to the qualifying school in 2010 and my confidence was at an all-time low,” reflected the two-time Scottish PGA champion, who finished a career-high of 19th on the European order of merit back in 2003.
“A decade or so earlier, I was at q-school as a fresh 20-something coming off a good year. In 2010, it was all very different. Life on tour is great when you’re playing well.
“But when you’re struggling and sitting at an airport on a Friday night having missed another cut and another £2500 of expenses has gone up in smoke, then that’s when it’s a completely different kettle of fish.
“In the end, it was an easy decision to step away. In fact, it was hardly a decision. It was just a gut feeling. I just knew it wasn’t for me anymore.”
The Tartan Tour would provide Forsyth with plenty of home comforts while the opportunity to pursue a coaching career at Mearns Castle added another string to his bow.
“Although I had stepped away from the European Tour, I still wanted to compete,” he added.
“It’s in my DNA, I love it. The Tartan Tour has kept me going for the past 10 years.
“If I wanted to play on the Senior Tour, I had to keep my eye in. It would be a big ask to go onto the senior circuit without competing at all for 10 years.
“It (the Legends Tour) has been on the horizon for so long and now it’s nearly here. I’m going to be a rookie again and one of the younger ones and that’s nice.
“I’ve been playing competitive golf since I was a boy and here I am, at nearly 50, getting ready to go again. It’s a great game.”
It certainly is.
