Do You Have the Balls to Retire?

Hole #1: A long par 5, with the Lake of Inflation on the left and the Sandtrap of Taxes just off the left side of the green.

Hole #2: A short par 4, downhill with the wind normally at your back. Reachable, but you have to avoid the Long-term Care Expenses in the rough off a narrow fairway.

Hole #3: A par 3 with a big, undulating 3-tier green. Increasing Medical Costs make this an easy 3 putt if you aren't careful.

Hole #4: A long par 4 with bunkers in the middle of the fairway. Take too much risk and try to carry them on your drive and you stand the chance of missing the fairway completely. Play it too safe and you'll never reach the green in two.

Hole #5: dog leg left par 5, with bunkers down the right side. Driver, 5-iron, wedge gets you to the green in regulation, but you can't go wedge, 5-iron, driver and expect the same results. Welcome to "Sequence of Returns" risk.

Hole #6: A monster par 4. You look down into your bag, and you only have 2 balls left. Can you make it through 18? What if you end up in a playoff for the championship? This game might last longer than you think. Welcome to longevity risk!

Hole #7: Another front-nine par 5, this one is reachable in two and makes for a distinct birdie (or even eagle) possability. But you've got to choose your shots wisely by coordinating all the tools in your bag. Clubs? Check. Balls? Check. Range Finder? Check. Tees? Check. Use them wisely.

Hole #8: The last, and toughest par 4. This hole is full of hazards. Sand, rough, water--this has it all. Don't expect to avoid all the trouble. You've got 14 clubs in your bag, use them! You may end up in a bunker here. Don't use that driver to get out--that's what the Sand Wedge is for!

Hole #9: A short, but very downhill par 3. This plays much longer than it looks because of the wind. Right in front of the green is the "Lake of Feelings" where many a lost golf ball ended up, simply because golfers just "felt" like they could reach the green with that wedge.