10 Great Retirement Spots for Golfers

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.