Cinnabar Hills Golf Club

When Cinnabar Hills Golf Club opened in 1998, it ended a 30-year drought of new public courses in San Jose. Architect John Harbottle III — who would later restore Stanford Golf Course in 2008 — routed all 27 holes through the oak-covered hillsides south of Silicon Valley, carefully preserving hundreds of mature oaks in the process. Seedlings from those same trees were cultivated and replanted to further anchor the landscape. The club's logo draws on the red-tail hawks that circle the property and occasionally perch in the canopy above the fairways. The name itself references cinnabar, the bright red mercury ore mined in these same hills during the 1800s.

The three nines — Mountain, Canyon, and Lake — each play with a distinct character and can be combined in any pairing for an 18-hole round. The Mountain nine is the most dramatic, with significant elevation changes and panoramic views across the South Bay and into Silicon Valley on clear days. The Canyon nine is the most strategic: narrower corridors, blind tee shots, and greens that require precise positioning off the tee. The Lake nine brings water into play most frequently. The longest combination, Mountain and Lake, plays to 6,854 yards with a slope of 139 and rating of 73.6. Canyon/Mountain runs 6,617 yards at slope 136 and rating 72.6. Lake/Canyon measures 6,713 yards with the highest slope of all three combinations at 140 and a 73.0 rating.

The Lee Brandenburg Historical Golf Museum opened alongside the course in August 1998. Founder Lee Brandenburg, an avid collector, spent six decades accumulating the artifacts on display — the museum is free and located inside the clubhouse. The Grille at Cinnabar Hills operates a full kitchen and bar with a patio overlooking the course. In 2018 Golf Advisor ranked Cinnabar Hills 17th on its Best California Golf Courses list, one of the more consistent rankings the facility has earned since opening.