Compare Intermediate Bridge and The Jekyll Island Club: Millionaire’s Retreat by Road Scholar

Day 1
Check-in, Program Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Jekyll Island D Jekyll Island Club Resort
Activity note: Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your name-tag, up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, and other important information. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in.

Dinner: In a private banquet room at the hotel, we’ll enjoy a three-course chef’s choice meal including a salad, entrée, and dessert, plus coffee, tea, and water; additional beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This program is intended for participants who already play social or duplicate bridge who would like to improve their game based on modern bridge guidelines. Intermediate Bridge is a program designed to present modern bridge popular conventions such as Stayman, Jacoby Transfer, weak and strong opening bids and slam bidding, as well as the use of overcalls, takeout, and negative doubles in the bidding process. Modern play of the hand and defense by the opposition are also presented. This program is not intended for rank beginner or advanced bridge players, nor those who wish to focus on tournament play. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Day 2
Bidding, Defending Against Notrump, Sea Turtle Center
Jekyll Island B,L,D Jekyll Island Club Resort
Activity note: Standing and walking 1/2 hour during field trip.

Breakfast: In the hotel’s Victorian-era Grand Dining Room, we’ll enjoy a buffet with an assortment of seasonal fresh fruits, yogurt, scrambled eggs, hot and cold cereals, breakfast meats, breakfast potatoes, grits, homemade pastries, toast, bagels, and muffins, and a daily special breakfast entrée, plus coffee, tea, milk, juices, and water.

Morning: Today we’ll study notrump opening bids and responses. We’ll play several hands, with tips for both declarer play and defense. We’ll discuss the Stayman convention and overcalls. Your class all week will be taught by an ACBL-certified instructor.

Lunch: In a banquet room at the hotel, we’ll enjoy a selection of salad, sandwich or soup, plus coffee, tea, and water.

Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll walk over to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Their mission statement affirms: “Through sea turtle rehabilitation, research and education programs, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center will increase awareness of habitat and wildlife conservation challenges, promote responsibility for ecosystem health and empower individuals to act locally, regionally, and globally to protect the environment.” We’ll return to the classroom for round-robin play with our new friends and instructor. In a relaxed and social environment, we’ll play and analyze hands based on this morning’s subject matter.

Dinner: Hotel meal.

Evening: We’ll gather in our private meeting room at the hotel with our instructor to shuffle, play, and relax for an evening with no set agenda.

Day 3
Jacoby Transfer Bids and Take-Out and Negative Doubles
Jekyll Island B,L,D Jekyll Island Club Resort
Activity note: Minimal standing and walking.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll begin a discussion today of Jacoby Transfer bids in response to a no trump opening bid. We will discuss the take-out and negative doubles, asking partner to choose one of the unbid suits.

Lunch: Hotel meal.

Afternoon: We’ll enjoy an afternoon of round-robin play with new friends and our instructor. In a relaxed and social environment, we’ll once again play and analyze hands based on this morning’s subject matter.

Dinner: Hotel meal.

Evening: We’ll gather for another evening of “no agenda” play, with our instructor on hand to make comments and answer questions. This morning’s lessons are the building blocks for this evening’s play. It’s a great way to learn.

Day 4
Strong and Weak Bids, Beach Walk, Free Time
Jekyll Island B Jekyll Island Club Resort
Activity note: Standing and walking 1 hour during field trip.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: For our shortened bridge schedule today, we’ll discuss another type of competitive bidding – preempts. What type of hand and what bidding situations lend themselves to a weak opening bid or weak jump overcall at the 2 level or higher? When and how should partner respond? Following our morning session, we’ll take a passenger van to the beach for our ecology beach walk hosted by a local expert.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Suggestions include the Club Café, Jekyll Island Club Hotel's popular bakery-delicatessen; the Victorian-era Grand Dining Room; or the Courtyard at Crane, which offers casual fine dining a short stroll from the main hotel.

Afternoon: Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. The conference room will also be open for participants who would prefer to continue playing bridge.

Dinner: On your own.

Evening: At leisure to explore more of Jekyll Island, relax at the hotel, or play more bridge in the conference room.

Day 5
Slam Bidding, Wrap-up Session
Jekyll Island B,L,D Jekyll Island Club Resort
Activity note: Minimal standing and walking.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Strong hands can be fun – and challenging! Today we’ll discuss slam bidding; and when slam looks like a possibility, we need to know when and how to use the ace-asking conventions, Blackwood and Gerber, and when they are not appropriate.

Lunch: Hotel meal.

Afternoon: We will continue to fine-tune what we learned through play and discussion, then follow-up with a review. Remember that bridge is a lifelong game. There are millions of possible hands, each offering its own mystery. While we arrived at Jekyll Island with intermediate skills, we now possess the knowledge and confidence to play with anyone playing the Standard American system

Dinner: Hotel meal.

Evening: We’ll continue “shuffle and deal” play in a relaxed friendly environment, with our instructor available for assistance. We are not only learning bridge with each other; we will also be playing in a club where gilded-age millionaires once enjoyed the game. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on how bridge has been played around the world throughout history.

Day 6
Behind the Scenes at the Club, Program Concludes
Jekyll Island B
Activity note: Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: For our last activity, we’ll go behind the scenes to see how the Jekyll Island Club has maintained its standards of luxurious service for over a century. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!