FRIPP ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA | Golfers can rattle off the names of South Carolina’s coastal golf destinations by heart – Myrtle, Litchfield, Pawley’s, Wild Dunes, Charleston, Kiawah, Hilton Head. With renovations to one of the oldest resort golf courses on the state’s coastal barrier islands, the name Fripp Island may join the list of go-to spots for golfers.
Fripp is a private barrier island near historic Beaufort (BEW-fert), South Carolina – between Charleston to the north and Hilton Head just south – for the exclusive use of vacation renters and homeowners. With three and a half miles of uninterrupted and uncrowded coastline – which has the distinction of being the only beach on the Eastern seaboard that’s actually growing instead of eroding – it presents a more remote and laid-back option to South Carolina’s enviable array of beach destinations.
That’s both its charm and its challenge as Seascape Hospitality Group balances buffing up Fripp Island’s two championship courses and resort amenities to attract new patrons while maintaining its cherished old-school, beach-escape vibe.
“We understand that Fripp Island isn’t for everybody,” Joe Guerra – co-owner of Fripp Island Golf & Beach Resort with Seascape Hospitality Group partner Adam Fuller – told Golf Business. “But we’re blessed in that we’re perfectly positioned. We’re an affordable alternative to some of the highest-priced destination resorts around the country. The value proposition is very high. I don’t know of another resort in the country that boasts the amenities we have at the price we have that is gated and guarded.”
While it doesn’t ooze the luxury of neighboring destinations Kiawah and Hilton Head that teem with McMansions and hotels – Fripp has no such pretensions and no hotel – Fripp Island draws rave reviews from publications including Southern Living (best islands in S.C. and among the South’s prettiest beach towns) and USA Today, which hailed its remoteness “that exudes a kind of laid-back charm you can only find on the best island vacations in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot for families to do here.”
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