Bridge – a game for life
The Taupō Bridge clubrooms.
The Taupō Bridge Club is offering a series of 12 beginner lessons followed by a supported introduction to playing at the club on Monday nights.
The cost of lessons is $100 and includes membership for the 2025 year, the official New Zealand Bridge lesson booklet, registration with New Zealand Bridge, the club’s match booklet and a name badge upon graduation.
As bridge is a partnership game, newly graduated players will then be matched with more experienced players to play at the club’s Monday sessions. It is our aim to make your first year of playing bridge comfortable, supported and fun.
Club president Sheryl Righton said junior and intermediate players also enjoy supervised play on Wednesday afternoons as this reinforces and expands on bidding and playing techniques introduced during lessons.
“However, while bridge is a game for life, you can have a very successful, enjoyable and competitive experience of bridge with just the knowledge that you gain from the first 12 lessons.”
The Taupō Bridge Club was established in August 1970 at a hotel on the site of the current Cobb and Co.
In 1972 it moved to the old Taupō Golf Club rooms on Tauhara Road. In July 1990 these rooms were burned down.
After many hours of discussion and dedication new clubrooms were built and the club continued to thrive, Righton said.
“The club has undergone significant renovations over the past two years and we are very fortunate to have superb clubrooms with glorious views over the golf course.
“We have a wide and varied range of players from those who learned last year to those who have been playing for over 40 years.
“We pride ourselves on our inclusive and supportive, friendly environment. New members are enthusiastically welcomed.
“We also run a monthly teams event and last year’s learners have been involved in playing in those teams.”
In winter members meet once a month on a Sunday for bridge and dinner including a mid-Winter Christmas dinner.
“This also includes an invitation for spouses and partners to join us for dinner. We have a bar licence for these social events and they are very popular among members.”
The club also hosts tournaments, and these offer the opportunity to be involved in other aspects of the club.
“In time you will want to play in these tournaments and meet players from other clubs. The more you play the more you find yourself part of a larger community of players.”
“There are also many groups of social players around Taupō who all share a bond with the club.”
This summer a group of last year’s beginners formed their own group to play socially and keep their learning going until the club reopened after New Year.
Playing sessions include Monday and Wednesday nights at 7pm, Tuesdays at 2pm, Fridays at 11am. Thursday teams at 1.30 with afternoon tea and the bar open, Sundays once a month in winter with dinner at 1.30pm.
We would love to welcome you to our club in 2025.