Being that Essex Cty is my home course, I'd hope to give you a good idea of what it is!
I'll try to be non-bias:
The first six holes can be bland at times; architecturally there are some neat features (sixth hole is great), but for the most part these holes lack the majesty of the remaining holes.
It all starts on the eden 11th which is a breathtaking shot over a deep ravine. You walk across a high wooden bridge that spans the chasm, and the road hole template 12th plays back over the same feature.
The last 8 holes, heck the back nine in general, is as strong as it gets in terms of a good test of golf and a well layed track.
With recent tree removals, green expansions, bunker additions, and native grasses, Essex is really starting to mature into a fabulous course.
But I may be boasting too much, you have to make the call.
Overall, I think its a really nice course and it ranks up there with the hidden gems of the northeast.
As for Forsgate, the layout is certainly classic.
Steamshovel Banks lived up to his name there; the short course features massive bunkers (really the deepest I have seen in the Macdonald/raynor/banks portfolio) and huge perched greens. As a student of architecture, I really enjoyed the template madness of Forsgate spanning from the eden, reverse redan, biarritz, knoll, hogback, long, punchbowl, narrow, and many more.
The short hole features one of the most pronounced horseshoe/"bathtub" indentations I have ever seen.
My analysis of this course is basically Banks on steroids.
The course is not maintained as good as Essex or Hollywood, but overall, the course is rooted in history and presents a challenging test at even a mere 6500 yards.