Centipede is not tolerant of high pH, nor soil with high salt content. If you have shell content in your soil you will never get the pH correct for centipede. You need to test your soil before deciding turf type. Centipede is the easiest to care for, but zoysia, bermuda, or seashore paspalum are probably better suited, however all three are high maintenance IMO with zoysia and bermuda less high maintenance than paspalum.

 

If have shade, then SA or zoysia, not Bermuda or seashore paspalum. Centipede doesn’t like salt or alkaline. However, if you are not there much, zoysia will grow slower.

One advantage of the paspalum is you can use salt water to kill weeds.

Zorro zoysia is you want.

 

thanks for the replies - I'm getting the idea I may need to rethink centipede
we have mostly full sun - only shade is from the house (now 12ft in the air) in late afternoon