Cinnabar Hills Golf Club

Head for the Hills.

You may not be too familiar with golf in the South Bay. And the mystery only grows as you exit Highway 101.

More drama awaits inside the pro shop at Cinnabar Hills, since you don't even know which two of three nines you'll play.

Don't worry. The unknown is fun, even if it is challenging.

Cinnabar Hills is a hidden gem, tucked in the foothills just south and west of San Jose. But you'll see quickly that there is big Silicon Valley money at work in this 27-hole layout, which has the best of everything ... great conditions, great variety, great amenities.

The 1998 course also has three distinct nine-hole layouts.

The constant is fun ... and a tough track. The average of the three 18-hole combinations is just 6,727 yards from the back tees, short for a modern layout. But the same average carries a taxing 73.0 rating and a 139 slope.

You'll probably want to try the Cinnabar tees, or even the Quicksilver tees. The Quicksilver distance is a little shorter than white-tee distance at most courses, but still carries a 127 slope.

In short, Cinnabar Hills isn't for hackers. But there is so much variety and so much beauty that you may not mind getting your teeth kicked in.

Your day starts ... well, you don't know where it will start, really.

The longest nine is the Lake nine, and the name gives you some indication of what's in store. Actually, the lake doesn't come into play until you get warmed up a little, which is cause for thanks.

But No. 1, a short par-5 with a shallow green fronted by four bunkers, still is a test. There is no water, per se, but there are wetlands left and right of a not-too-wide fairway.

No. 2, a short par-3, introduces another common theme with a sloping green. There are huge slopes on the putting surfaces throughout the three nines, and the traditional back-to-front slope often is ignored.

The lake comes into play on No. 3, a long par-4 with water left. But the real water test is at No. 7, a long par-5 where the green is guarded on three sides by the lake, and trees await if you cheat too far right.

The Mountain Nine heads away from water and toward the hills, starting with a short par-5 to an elevated green.

The beauty of this nine is in the par-4s, including three of the four toughest holes on the course. No. 4 is the No. 1 handicap hole of 27, a true risk-reward dogleg right over wetlands. A rock wall and a huge oak guard the left side if you cheat too far away from the hazard, and the elevated green has a pot bunker guarding the front.

But the Mountain nine also has four of the seven easiest holes on the course (handicap-wise), and most of the fairways are wide. Finish this nine with another tough par-4, a sloping dogleg right where a level stance is harder to find than one of the 14 bunkers, including six around the green.

A different test awaits on the Canyon Nine, which features shorter holes but narrower fairways with more oaks and wetlands.

One of the biggest gems here is No. 2, a long par-4 straight downhill with an approach over water to a green that slopes away from you.

No. 4 has a huge oak right in the middle of the fairway, but it's better to hit the oak in the middle than the woods on the left.

End your day - or at least that nine - with another classic hole, a long par-5 straight downhill toward 15 more bunkers with a beautiful clubhouse in the backdrop.

Enjoy a meal at the posh 19th hole, or grab a hot dog at the snack bar where the nines converge, a la Poppy Ridge.

Cinnabar Hills has an upside that almost is too long to mention. This is an upscale daily-fees course with immaculate facilities, including a grass range, nice on-course restrooms and ball- and club-washers on your cart. The pro shop even has scorecards with every possible combination of nines you can play.

The unknown can wreak havoc with your game, but the course has a solid yardage book, the carts have GPS and sprinkler-head yardage abounds.

There are 27 solid holes, and several that you'll remember long after your round.

The three nines are distinct and difficult, but not too punishing. The Canyon holes can make you crazy if you lose control off the tee, but even that nine offers a couple chances to grip it and rip it.

The only challenges for local players are location and price. Cinnabar Hills is 100 miles from Vacaville, and you may want to unwind a little after fighting East and South Bay traffic.

The fare is $80 during the week, $100 on weekends. And you'll still wonder what you missed with the nine you didn't play.

But take heart, you'll probably want to come back. Just hit the course's web site (www.cinnabarhills.com) first in case there's a deal. The best current one is $57 with a cart before 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday or Thursday. The early tee time also could help you avoid the worst traffic.

Even if you don't find a deal, you'll still have a blast. And you'll get a little inside info on a course you may not find otherwise.

Directions - Take Interstate 80 west to I-680 south. Take Highway 101 south. Take the Bailey Avenue exit west. Turn left on Monterey Road, and take an immediate right on Bailey. Turn left on McKean Road.