2026-07-06 19:34:35 10 Great Retirement Spots for Golfers – NEW WTOP Skip to main content

10 Great Retirement Spots for Golfers

By U.S. News & World Report

Retirement offers an opportunity to spend your days lining up the perfect putt and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine at a pristine golf course. And you don’t necessarily have to stay in the U.S. to tee up on a regular basis. In fact, it can be far more affordable to enjoy a regular golf habit overseas. Here are the 10 best places to retire overseas if golf is a priority.

10. Nejapa Country Club, Nicaragua. Nicaragua is one of the world’s most affordable places to retire well. It is a land of sunshine and crashing Pacific surf that also boasts the oldest city in the Americas, colonial Granada, which is home to one of the world’s biggest and most established communities of expat retirees. Nicaragua is also friendly, safe and welcoming, offering a competitive retiree residency program that you can qualify for with retirement income of as little as $600 per month. The par-72 course at Nicaragua’s Nejapa Country Club, with its gentle bunkers and lush vegetation, has survived an earthquake and a revolution and now offers golfers a peaceful and beautiful day out, if you come prepared for the humidity.

9. Verdura Resort, Sciacca, Italy. For many people, Italy offers the ultimate dream retirement lifestyle. La dolce vita can be hard to beat, particularly when you bundle it with one of the world’s best golf courses. At Sicily’s fashionable Verdura Resort you have access to three links courses. With fabulous views of the ocean and this region’s year-round warm weather, the Kyle Phillips-designed courses are among the most appealing in Europe. The resort also offers a double-ended driving range and PGA-qualified pros.

8. Quinta do Lago, Algarve, Portugal. Portugal’s Algarve receives top marks in every category of importance to retirees, including cost-of-living, climate, infrastructure and residency options. In addition, this region is dense with golf courses, including Quinta do Lago. With three award-winning championship golf courses, — the North, South and Laranjal — excellent practice facilities and the only Paul McGinley Academy in Europe, Qinta do Lago makes this corner of Portugal a golfer’s dream retirement choice.

7. The Bluffs, Vung Tau, Vietnam. Vietnam is one of the most affordable places in the world to live and an emerging retirement haven. It may not seem an obvious choice for golfers, but the Bluffs in Vung Tau, a coastal links-style course designed by legendary Australian golfer Greg Norman, makes the most of a stunning location and features huge sand hills, native vegetation and dramatic ocean views. Most days this is a windswept spot, but that extra challenge is proving popular among golfers from Asia and around the world.

6. Thai Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand, a top affordable retirement haven that’s also earning a name as a medical tourism destination, is also a golfing mecca. Among this country’s top golfing options is the Thai Country Club course located a 45-minute drive from Bangkok. Designed by Denis Griffiths, the former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the course is a par-72, 18-hole layout with numerous water hazards and bunkers that is regularly voted among the top five places to golf in Asia.

5. Chapelco, Patagonia, Argentina. Argentina is a big, beautiful country that makes a great retirement choice for anyone looking for an active, outdoor lifestyle. In its Patagonia region, set in parkland with lakes and winding streams and surrounded by the Andean mountains, is the Chapelco golf course, one of the country’s and the world’s finest. The par-72 course, designed by golfing icon Jack Nicklaus and his son Jack Nicklaus II, features 73 starting tees and 65 bunkers.

4. The Dunes, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Mexico is the original retire overseas destination, and is appealing for its weather, cost-of-living and accessibility from the United States. In Cabo San Lucas, the golf course The Dunes was designed by Davis Love III, the American pro with 20 PGA wins under his belt. The Dunes, at 7,300 yards from the back tees, is a challenging course set on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula that is rated among the best in the world.

3. Morfontaine, Paris, France. Paris is the world’s most beautiful and romantic city. It’s also a top choice for a cosmopolitan lifestyle in retirement. Retiring to Paris doesn’t have to mean giving up your love of golf. The historic Morfontaine course outside Paris boasts 27 holes, including a 9-hole course built in 1911 known as Valliere and an 18-hole championship course built in 1927. Commissioned by the Duc du Gramont and designed by Englishman Tom Simpson, Morfontaine Championship is a 6,545-yard, par-70 course punctuated by towering Scotch pines.

2. Teeth of the Dog, Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is a top choice for retirement in the Caribbean, with long white-sand beaches, easy retiree residency and super-affordable beachfront property options. This sunny, sandy Caribbean island nation is also home to the butterfly-routed Teeth of the Dog golf course designed in the early 1970s by Pete Dye and his wife Alice. The course adheres more to the natural contours of the land than Dye’s usual designs, probably because of the underlying coral rock. However, some tees are built on man-made pedestals. Occasional trade winds add an extra level of difficulty.

1. Ballybunion Golf Club, Ireland. Ireland offers a relaxed, friendly lifestyle and an English-speaking population that welcomes foreigners, making it a top choice for retirement. It’s also one of the world’s best golfing havens. The course at Ballybunion, dating to 1893, is perhaps the country’s most famous. The wild beauty, 100-foot dunes and unpredictable weather make Ballybunion exciting and challenging. Head to the 19th hole at the end of the day to sample the famous Irish hospitality.

Kathleen Peddicord is the founder of the Live and Invest Overseas publishing group.

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10 Great Retirement Spots for Golfers originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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