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Best place to retire and become a Golf Bum

BagBoy
JAbbot1985 said:
I think it's Canada. But it can be some problems with the moving.
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Not sure that meets OP's requisite of "warmer climate". Unless he currently lives in Antarctica. :ROFLMAO:
 
Sand hills of North Carolina
 
Brucem609 said:
Sand hills of North Carolina
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Not sure about that. The golf is great and the cost of living is low. But, I don't think a wife would be too excited. There's not much to do there but golf. Maybe, in Sanford, NC. There's a little more activity and your 45-50 minutes to Cary/Raleigh area.
 
A dream of mine would be to do exactly this in 20 years or so when I'm good to go, am vicariously reading through this thread. Not to wish my life away but, man that sounds good. Mrs HarlettoScara on the other hand would have something else to say sadly haha
 
Has anyone ever considered Crossville, TN? We went there on a golf trip 0once and they had 6 or 7 courses in this development called Fairfield Glade. There were a ton of retirees down there. Every golf course had a bunch of old folks playing golf, eating lunch, having cocktails, etc.
 
HarlettoScara said:
A dream of mine would be to do exactly this in 20 years or so when I'm good to go, am vicariously reading through this thread. Not to wish my life away but, man that sounds good. Mrs HarlettoScara on the other hand would have something else to say sadly haha
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I have up to 3 years left. I am only saying up to 3 years because of my union contract ends August 2023 and I don't feel like sitting on another picket line. I have worked 30+ years already and I am still relatively young so I want to enjoy my retirement. LOL
 
robo729 said:
I have up to 3 years left. I am only saying up to 3 years because of my union contract ends August 2023 and I don't feel like sitting on another picket line. I have worked 30+ years already and I am still relatively young so I want to enjoy my retirement. LOL
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Exactly the same as me, I want to be able to retire young enough to actually enjoy the things I love. I have seen so many people not get to enjoy the retirement that they deserve, so I’m determined that I will do it differently.
 
I wouldn't rule out southern parts of Texas. All of our cost of living will below NY, and Houston/Austin/San Antonio are great cities. We play golf all year round we'll get 2-3 weeks in the 50's and rest of the winter is 60-70. Golf is reasonable, and plenty of travel, city experiences around.
 
pattyboy21 said:
Club Campestre membership comes with a home purchase, and of course golf IS cheap in the Summer for those that live in Los Cabos (which is where we want to live). There is a nice course in Ensenada but I wouldn't want to live there - must be other options too but Los Cabos is where we want to go.

I would love to live in Phoenix/Scottsdale again but Mexico is just a better option for us long term.
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when summer comes you will want to get out of Cabo faster than a bank robber with a bag of cash - hurricanes, humidity, insects etc
 
Any wheres from south eastern Virginia to Georgia is pretty affordable and there are many great courses.
 
robo729 said:
So here is the deal: I am nearing retirement, within the next 3 years, and starting to look at places to either buy a 2nd home, or if it comes to it, rent for the winter months. I currently live in NYC, where obviously the cost of living is high but I do have a house that is paid for already. I want to be in obviously a warmer climate for the winter months, say from January to April at least, possibly November to April.
My only requirements are as follows:
1. Warmer climate, it can be anywhere in the US. Winter temperature has to consistently be above 60 during the day, I would prefer even warmer but know that this isn't neccessarily possible.
2. Lower cost of living.
3. Places to see and explore.
4. Good/decent food experience, hard to beat NYC's food options.
5. Access to airports for other travel needs.

I will take any and all suggestions. I am open to many different scenarios, buy or rent, condo or house, multiple locations over the winter or just a single location. I am sure THPers will be one of my better resources for this adventure.

Thanks in advance for all of your help!
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I was a Brit living in NYC for 20 years or so and we were in the same boat as you. Where to go where we can golf year round, have decent travel options, decent food, weather and that has a cheaper cost of living.

We had thought Arizona and Florida but settled on Wilmington NC. Arizona, to hot in the summers and a bit to far for travel back to the UK. Florida, well its Florida, to hot again for to many months of the year and everyone is retired ;)

We rent a town home, $2k cheaper than our place in Brooklyn, auto insurance about 25% cheaper, fuel cheaper and other cost of living about 20/25% than NYC. We have an international airport with good links to main hubs Atlanta & NYC or a simple drive to Raleigh for direct flights. Weather wise its been good enough for me to play in shorts year round, not 60 all year but good and warm enough you can play golf. You're not far from Myrtle, an hour at most and to be honest you drive past some very good course before you even get to Myrtle Beach. People are friendly, to be honest I've met a lot of NY'ers down here, they all say its the perfect place, not too far away from NY to drive back up to see family, good year round weather, plenty of beach to chill on, not to far from the mountains and plenty of golf, its also not Florida.

Good luck with your choice and retirement :cool:
 
wristcock said:
when summer comes you will want to get out of Cabo faster than a bank robber with a bag of cash - hurricanes, humidity, insects etc
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I lived in Phoenix for 16 years and Houston for 18 - love the heat!
 
pattyboy21 said:
I lived in Phoenix for 16 years and Houston for 18 - love the heat!
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And Phoenix and Houston are two very different kinds of heat!
 
Blame Me said:
I was a Brit living in NYC for 20 years or so and we were in the same boat as you. Where to go where we can golf year round, have decent travel options, decent food, weather and that has a cheaper cost of living.

We had thought Arizona and Florida but settled on Wilmington NC. Arizona, to hot in the summers and a bit to far for travel back to the UK. Florida, well its Florida, to hot again for to many months of the year and everyone is retired ;)

We rent a town home, $2k cheaper than our place in Brooklyn, auto insurance about 25% cheaper, fuel cheaper and other cost of living about 20/25% than NYC. We have an international airport with good links to main hubs Atlanta & NYC or a simple drive to Raleigh for direct flights. Weather wise its been good enough for me to play in shorts year round, not 60 all year but good and warm enough you can play golf. You're not far from Myrtle, an hour at most and to be honest you drive past some very good course before you even get to Myrtle Beach. People are friendly, to be honest I've met a lot of NY'ers down here, they all say its the perfect place, not too far away from NY to drive back up to see family, good year round weather, plenty of beach to chill on, not to far from the mountains and plenty of golf, its also not Florida.

Good luck with your choice and retirement :cool:
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Plus, one. Specifically, I would recommend nearby Leland. They have 3 golf communities. Have visited Brunswick Forest for a tour. Looks like there's a lot of fun happening there. It's a Sr citizen playground! Golf, lots of activities, pool, and the pizza place nearby is awesome too.
 
Carolina Golfer said:
Plus, one. Specifically, I would recommend nearby Leland. They have 3 golf communities. Have visited Brunswick Forest for a tour. Looks like there's a lot of fun happening there. Golf, lots of activities, pool, and the pizza place nearby is awesome too.
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I'd also second that too :cool:
 
Snowman said:
And Phoenix and Houston are two very different kinds of heat!
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Yep - Cabo isn't as dry as Phoenix, but it's not near as humid as Houston. I hate the weather here in Houston...
 
No question for me. Ft. Myers/Naples FL for me. Very few days below 60. You can spend as much or as little you want.
 
Scott F said:
No question for me. Ft. Myers/Naples FL for me. Very few days below 60. You can spend as much or as little you want.
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Personally, I feel the heat is more intense here in Georgia and Central Florida than down at Ft. Myers/Naples. You get some air movement close to the coast.
 
My vote is SoCal if you can handle the housing costs. Lots of affordable courses . The weather is mild 80-90 mid summer if you avoid the desert areas slightly milder on the coast mid summer. Lower humidity than the SE except the few times we get a southerly flow from the Sea Of Cortez
 
Scott F said:
No question for me. Ft. Myers/Naples FL for me. Very few days below 60. You can spend as much or as little you want.
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Great area for golf and boating, we split our time between Bonita Springs and Scottsdale. We previously had a place in Maui but with kids in CONUS it’s too hard to keep everyone together outside of Christmas. We can deal with the Florida humidity far better then we expected so likely to sell or rent the place in Scottsdale and just buy a place in Colorado for summer months. Southwest Florida is heaven in my opinion for 8 months, the further south you go of Tampa the better the golf gets and conditions are far better.


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NoLine said:
Great area for golf and boating, we split our time between Bonita Springs and Scottsdale. We previously had a place in Maui but with kids in CONUS it’s too hard to keep everyone together outside of Christmas. We can deal with the Florida humidity far better then we expected so likely to sell or rent the place in Scottsdale and just buy a place in Colorado for summer months. Southwest Florida is heaven in my opinion for 8 months, the further south you go of Tampa the better the golf gets and conditions are far better.

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We love Southwest Florida and bought a condo in Naples in 2013. The average winter time high temperature is 76.4 and they average only about 18 days a year where the high temp is below 70 degrees. Naples and Key West are also the sunniest cities in Florida with right around 270 days a year of sun or partial sun. We currently spend about 50 days each winter in Naples and that will go up to about 7 months when our youngest goes to college in three years. I can’t say the weather is heaven for 8 months but I’d agree with the 7 months from October 20th through May 20th. Luckily for us that 5 months starting in late May is when we want to be in Minnesota as the average high there hits 70 around Memorial Day and it stays comfortable until the leaves fall in mid to late October. The summer weather here is nearly identical to the winter weather in Naples and the golf courses in Minnesota are as plentiful(and more interesting) as they are in Southwest Florida. We are big boaters and look forward to buying a boat our first full winter in Naples. I’ve been a lake boater all my life so it will be interesting adjusting to the ocean.

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Carolina Golfer said:
Plus, one. Specifically, I would recommend nearby Leland. They have 3 golf communities. Have visited Brunswick Forest for a tour. Looks like there's a lot of fun happening there. It's a Sr citizen playground! Golf, lots of activities, pool, and the pizza place nearby is awesome too.
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Wife and I are going to rent a place in Carolina Beach Jan-mar 2021(fingers crossed) and check out the surrounding areas in NC and SC and see how we like it.
 
Steve2100 said:
Wife and I are going to rent a place in Carolina Beach Jan-mar 2021(fingers crossed) and check out the surrounding areas in NC and SC and see how we like it.
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Have low expectations at Beau Rivage. The Muni is nice in Wilmington.
 
tahoebum said:
We love Southwest Florida and bought a condo in Naples in 2013. The average winter time high temperature is 76.4 and they average only about 18 days a year where the high temp is below 70 degrees. Naples and Key West are also the sunniest cities in Florida with right around 270 days a year of sun or partial sun. We currently spend about 50 days each winter in Naples and that will go up to about 7 months when our youngest goes to college in three years. I can’t say the weather is heaven for 8 months but I’d agree with the 7 months from October 20th through May 20th. Luckily for us that 5 months starting in late May is when we want to be in Minnesota as the average high there hits 70 around Memorial Day and it stays comfortable until the leaves fall in mid to late October. The summer weather here is nearly identical to the winter weather in Naples and the golf courses in Minnesota are as plentiful(and more interesting) as they are in Southwest Florida. We are big boaters and look forward to buying a boat our first full winter in Naples. I’ve been a lake boater all my life so it will be interesting adjusting to the ocean.

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Out of curiosity, are you a member of a club in Naples? I was just wondering if it was difficult to get tee times during the winter months not being a member. I know there are a lot of courses in Naples, but have heard that it's difficult to get a tee time in the winter.
 
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