On South Carolina’s Lowcountry coast, Fripp Island offers the kind of spectacular setting golfers love—and the kind of challenging growing environment that puts turfgrass to the test.

Surrounded by saltwater marshes and the Atlantic Ocean, Fripp Island Golf & Beach Resort is home to two distinctive golf courses: Ocean Creek Golf Club and Ocean Point Golf Links. Both feature Platinum TE Paspalum, a turfgrass well suited to the island’s coastal conditions, where saline irrigation water, ocean spray, and tidal influences are part of everyday turf management.

For Jerry Ross, Head Superintendent at Ocean Creek for 33 years, Platinum TE’s ability to perform under those conditions is one of its most important attributes.

“The salt tolerance is essential here,” Ross said. “We deal constantly with high salt concentration, elevated bicarbonates, and boron in our irrigation water as well as from ocean spray and tidal incursion. Platinum TE thrives under these harsh coastal stresses where other grasses would fail.”

A Long Track Record at Ocean Creek

Ocean Creek, designed by Davis Love III and Paul Cowley, winds through the island’s salt marshes, freshwater lagoons, maritime vegetation and dune ridges. Five holes border marshland, making the Lowcountry environment an integral part of the golf experience.

Platinum TE has been part of the course for more than a decade. According to Ross, it was planted across Ocean Creek’s greens, tees and fairways in 2012 and continues to be used as the course undertakes tee box relevelling and resurfacing projects.

Ross was directly involved in the selection of Platinum TE and said the decision centered on three qualities: salt tolerance, playability, and aesthetics.

“Living in an oceanfront environment presents unique agronomic challenges, and Platinum TE handles saline conditions better than traditional warm season grasses,” he said.

That tolerance is particularly important because Fripp Island’s irrigation water presents its own challenges. Ross describes the water quality as inherently poor due to high salinity levels, making turfgrass selection a critical agronomic decision.

But resilience is only part of the equation. The turf also has to deliver the playing conditions golfers expect.

Ross said Platinum TE produces an “exceptionally dense, tight lie” on fairways, while the greens provide a true, smooth, and fast putting surface. He also points to its dark green color, recovery, and ability to maintain clean, tight playing surfaces under environmental stress as standout characteristics.

Platinum TE at Ocean Point

On the eastern side of Fripp Island, Ocean Point provides a different golf experience. The George Cobb design dates to the 1960s and takes advantage of its Atlantic Ocean setting, with both nines beginning and ending near the coastline.

The course recently underwent a major renovation led by Cynthia Dye McGarey and her son Matt McGarey of Dye Designs Group. Completed in fall 2024, the project reduced maintained turf in selected areas while introducing more sandy waste areas, naturalistic bunkering, and coastal plantings to create a more beach-like character.

Platinum TE was incorporated into portions of the renovated course, including new sod areas on tees, fringes, and fairways.

Together, the renovation and turf improvements complement Ocean Point’s seaside setting while reinforcing a connection between the golf course and Fripp Island’s natural coastal landscape.

Performance for Everyday and Tournament Golf

The benefits of Platinum TE are evident not only to the maintenance team but also to the golfers playing the courses.

“The feedback from both residents and resort guests has been overwhelmingly positive,” Ross said. “Golfers consistently praise the smooth trueness of the greens, the lush fairway lies, and the striking visual contrast of the course.”

The turf has also been tested under tournament conditions. Ocean Creek has hosted the NCAA Division I Big South Conference Golf Championships for both men and women, while the Fripp Island courses host events for the Carolina Golf Association, Carolinas PGA and South Carolina junior golf, among others. Ocean Point also hosted the Golfweek Bermuda Invitational and is scheduled to welcome the event again.

According to Ross, players and coaches have been impressed by the turf’s “surface consistency, ball roll, and resilience” during tournament play.

Built for the Coast

Golf courses in coastal environments demand turfgrasses capable of delivering excellent playing conditions while tolerating stresses that inland properties may rarely encounter. At Fripp Island, those challenges include saline irrigation water, salt spray, and tidal influence—all while maintaining the appearance and performance expected at a resort destination.

For Ross, the characteristics that distinguish Platinum TE are clear: “Its outstanding salt tolerance, quick recovery rate, dark green color, and ability to maintain tight, clean playing surfaces even under tough environmental stress.”

All of the Platinum TE used at Fripp Island has been supplied by Green Acres Turf Farm in Furman, South Carolina, which Ross praised as professional and easy to work with throughout delivery and support.

More than a decade after Platinum TE was first installed at Ocean Creek—and with continued use across Fripp Island—the grass has proven particularly well-suited to this distinctive Lowcountry environment: resilient enough for the coast, refined enough for championship golf.