Destination ten on the ledger. Seven courses and The Cradle in four days, 126 holes, one Jack Nicklaus sighting, a ranking that will start arguments, and every dollar documented.

I live here, and I played desert golf trips for years before I did. When the desert peaks, which courses fit which groups, the down-valley question, and the booking clock that starts in October. A local's guide.

Every April for years, my dad and I flew in the day after the Masters and played PGA West for three days. Two decades of trips later, a local's honest guide to the Stadium course and the desert's best buddies-trip venue.

Bandon Dunes doesn't book like a resort anymore. It books like the Masters: you register, you get drawn, and a reservationist calls when it's your turn. After five trips and a lot of window-watching, here's the whole machine, explained.

I've played seven courses in Scotland and made five trips to Bandon Dunes, and I'm prepared to say something golf writers usually hedge: the best American links golf now belongs in the same conversation as the country that invented the game. One company is the reason.

Red, Blue, Black: ranked, compared, and all three worth your trip. What a solo April visit taught me about Florida's most surprising golf resort.

Seven rounds in four days at America's great golf resort, my fifth trip there. The course order, the lottery, the off-season playbook, and what five visits teach you.