Hilton Head Island Bridge Club: Games and Lessons

• Sanctioned by: the ACBL
• Games: Monday to Friday, some Saturdays
• Supervised play: Thursdays, 10 to noon, $15
• Club dues: $35 a year

Duplicate Bridge on Hilton Head

The Hilton Head Island Bridge Club is the island’s duplicate bridge club, sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League. It plays in a storefront at Port Royal Plaza on Mathews Drive, with games Monday through Friday and some Saturdays, both restricted games for newer players and open games for everyone else. Reviewers describe a friendly room where out-of-towners are welcome at the duplicate games and the levels run from beginner to experienced.

Lessons and Supervised Play

The club teaches beginner and advanced-beginner lessons, with a fall series each year, and its Thursday-morning supervised play is the easiest way in: each session opens with a fifteen-minute mini lesson, then every table plays at its own pace and you can ask about bidding, play and defense as you go. It runs from 10 to noon, costs $15 a player, and takes a partner or pairs up solo players of similar skill. There is no supervised play in August.

Playing as a Visitor

Visitors are welcome at the games. The club’s calendar lists each day’s game and its level, so check it for the one that suits you, then call the club to confirm before you go. Members pay annual dues of $35; the club’s directors take cash, including quarters, at the table. Parking is in the shopping-center lot out front.

If cards are not your game, the other Hilton Head clubs include the Italian American Club and the Rotary Club.