Retire to US Golf Paradise

Surely it's every golfer's dream to retire to a place in the sun just a short hop from world class courses where you can while away the years making up for lost time on the links.

And for that winning combination of blazing sunshine, beautiful scenery and quality golf facilities - the United States as a prospective location is hard to match.

If you are planning to invest in a retirement home, before you investigate mortgage prices and check out your savings account for that beach front property in Marbella, we suggest you take a look at two US cities with excellent golfing traditions of their own.

Palm Springs, California

Located in the desert just over 100 miles east of Los Angeles, Palm Springs is home to a population of around 43,000. Long considered a 'retirement city,' it has much to offer those with time on their hands. Hiking and horse riding can be found in the deserts and mountains nearby but where Palm Springs shines really excels is its golf courses.

It was always a popular holiday destination for Hollywood's finest and still proves a major attraction. Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra both retired to Palm Beach to play more golf later in their lives. And with 125 golf courses in the Palm Springs area retirees will be spoilt for choice when deciding where to tee off next.

One outstanding public course is the Arnold Palmer designed Classic Club, boasting greens and fairways maintained to a standard comparable to anywhere in the world, while other fabulous courses can be found nearby at Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells and La Quinta.

The Coachella Valley, of which Palm Springs is one of nine thriving cities, offers a warm, dry climate along with over 325 days of sunshine and less than six inches of rain each year.

There are more than 240 miles of fairways in the greater Palm Springs area, enough for any golfer to keep it on the short grass, while shops in the new Desert Fashion Shopping Plazas are equal those of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Restaurants here also offer a broad variety of fine dining facilities encompassing every taste imaginable from Southwestern Tex-Mex to the finest French Cuisine in all price ranges.

Here is a Titleist Scotty Cameron which is your right answer. It combines the classic style of the Newport putters with the Detour design and weighting features. Its arched "Detour" design encourages the putting stroke to move along the proper path for optimal performance. Its deep and low center of gravity reduces skidding and produces a truer roll. It features a T-6 6061 Aircraft Aluminum face and body with a 303 Stainless Steel frame and back-weight.

Boulder City, Nevada

Just a half-hour drive from Las Vegas, Boulder City was originally created to house the workers who built the Hoover Dam and is a desert city in much the same mould as Palm Springs.

It was voted the sixth best place to retire to in the US by Money magazine in 2006 - chiefly down to the city's excellent medical care, entertainment and affordable housing, combined with Nevada not charging a state tax to its residents.

Add to that the distinction of being one of the cities in Nevada where gambling is illegal - you can get your gambling kicks an hour away in Vegas - locals don't have to worry about too many tourists descending on their community.

But what if you're a golfer, how do the facilities match up? It's not blessed with Palm Springs' quantity but has quality public courses in Boulder City and Cascata golf clubs. And only a short drive to the outskirts of Las Vegas, residents will discover more superb links to keep any avid player occupied.

Other advantages that make Boulder City attractive are its climate - hot and dry in the summer, mild in the winter - Lake Mead, the world's deepest man-made reservoir, the Colorado River and the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum.