Interest in the tile game has grown enough to support several opportunities to play each week.
At the Country Club of the Carolinas, formerly Firethorne Country Club, the winner of a mah jongg game gets to strike a miniature gong and choose a little duck to take home. When someone discards a certain bird tile, the table may erupt in a chorus of "One Bird Bang Cheers!" or a few good-natured "Caw, caws!"
For Lisa Merritt, who joined the Monday afternoon group after retiring a year ago, the game is more than a hobby. Asked whether the appeal is competition, strategy or friendship, she says, "It's definitely all three!" She adds, "It's so fun to personally win, but it's fun to see how someone else has strategized to win their game."
How the groups started
The local group goes back about 12 years, when Andree Manheimer began encouraging and teaching friends from the club to play. A group of women who played at a local Whole Foods joined in, and Monday afternoons became the regular gathering. Many of the women also play golf, which makes a non-golf day convenient.
Several months ago Lisa started a Thursday evening game so working friends could take part. Members and their non-member friends are welcome, and a WhatsApp poll decides who is playing each week. More recently a Sunday afternoon game began, organized by Taylor Stier and Stacey Cohen with the club's director of member experience, Allison Doane.
At the table
About 12 players typically gather, four to a table. When the numbers don't divide evenly, the women play with a "ghost" they have named Bob, or, in Lisa's version, Greta. The group plays American mah jongg using the annual card issued by the National Mah Jongg League, which lists the hands that can win. Players pick among the combinations on the card, then draw, discard and exchange tiles toward a winning hand. Lisa describes the process as bringing tiles "from a pile of chaos" into order.
She learned from friends Stacey and Andree, then sharpened her skills with books and online play. "At first the game seems super complicated, but after playing it a few times it starts to click," she says. Several women in the group teach newcomers, and friends Fran and Julie have organized times for people who want to learn.
Games last about two hours, long enough for four to six rounds. The group doesn't play for money. Monday players generally skip snacks, the evening group may have dinner beforehand and a cocktail at the table, and the Sunday gathering includes light hors d'oeuvres through the club.
Lisa's adult daughter, Kierstin, plays with the Thursday night group and has brought friends. Lisa thinks younger players are helping fuel mah jongg's resurgence, along with colorful modern sets, accessories and tournaments. The men in their lives haven't necessarily caught the bug. "Even though there are men who play, our husbands think we are a cult!" Lisa jokes.
"It's a great brain game and brings a lot of laughter and fun when played with friends," she says.
This story appears in the November 2026 issue of Stroll Firethorne. Read the full edition here.