There are many little island communities along the South Carolina-North Carolina coast, but there are some little-known gems that many tourists are missing.
Fripp Island is one such community.
Located about 18 miles from Beaufort, S. C., about halfway between Charleston and Savannah, Fripp Island has two excellent golf courses and good tennis facilities, surrounded by a laid-back housing community with homes ranging from a few hundred thousand up to more than a million dollars. The community has worked hard to preserve the natural environmental area.
Fripp is sort of a working-man's Hilton Head Island.
Fripp is a paradise for retirees, with affordable homes and plenty of golf-tennis opportunities, along with a beautiful white sand beach, fishing and swimming and a pleasant year-around climate.
This is well-secured gated community of some 2,000 people, separated from the mainland by a beautiful bridge over the intercoastal waterway.
This uncrowded private island offers miles of beach, seaside pools, great golf, tennis, deep-water marina, leisure trails for biking or roller blading, restaurant gems, fun boutiques, children's camps and nature programs. Seaside simplicity is the motto -- casual fun is the rule.
This is not a resort for nightlife, with relaxation and a chance to get away from it all the theme.
Here's how the golf courses have been described:
Ocean Creek Golf Course--Davis Love III's first signature course-has been named "one of the top 10 new course you can play" in the nation by Golf Magazine and recently given a prestigious 4.5 Star rating by Golf Digest Magazine. The honor is well placed. The course is lovingly carved from land so exotic it was used as a movie setting for scenes in Forrest Gump and Disney's The Jungle Book. Four distinct rolling dune lines provide a major design element. Some ridges climb as high as 15 feet as they corkscrew across fairways. Salt marshes and native wetlands also play a key role in the playability and character. Five holes are edged by vast expanses of tidal marsh, while another six incorporated interior wetlands, preserved and connected through a network of wooden walkways and bridges. With Ocean Creek, Love III demonstrates that his classic, minimalist approach
Fripp Island's oceanfront course-George Cobb's venerable Ocean Point Golf Links- has been newly renovated to offer more dramatic views of the Atlantic and a keener sense of playing an authentic links design. New features include elevated tees, and undulating dune perimeters on many holes. Though just 6,600 yards from the blues, this oceanfront gem plays longer due to its sea-meets-land links design. Water comes into direct play on 10 holes. Prevailing ocean breezes also present a challenge, especially on the four holes that reach the Atlantic and Fripp Inlet. Each hole on this seaside resort course presents a unique challenge. Well-protected greens require well-placed tee shots and crisp iron play.
Fripp Island is near the southern tip of South Carolina,45 miles from I-95 at the end of U.S. Highway 21.

If You're Driving ...

From I-95 Going South:
Take Exit 33 (Point South). Follow signs for Beaufort and US Highway 21. Stay on Highway 21 to the Fripp Island Bridge.

From I-95 Going North:
Take Exit 8 (turn east/right). Follow Beaufort signs and turn left on John Smith Road. Turn left on Highway 170 & 278. Stay on 170 until across the Broad River Bridge. Turn right on 802, and go past Parris Island. Turn right at first light (continuing on 802). Follow 802 over Lady's Island Bridge. Turn right at US Highway 21. Follow to Fripp Island Bridge.

For more information visit the resort's web site at www.frippislandresort.com or call toll-free at 800-845-4100.

This story was published on 30 Jan 2006.