by Olivia Kay

Created on: April 12, 2010

Bags of corn sail through the air as competitors try and toss them through the holes of platforms with the goal of scoring more points than their competition.  What game is this?  It's cornhole of course. 

Unless you are from Kentucky, Southern Ohio, or other eastern states, you may never have heard of cornhole, however you may have heard of the game of bean bag toss which is another name for the game.  In these areas of the country, cornhole is a very common outdoor game that is played both for leisure and competitively.

Cornhole, also known as corn toss, soft horseshoes, bean bag, or bean toss originated in Germany in the 14th century and was resurrected a little over one-hundred years ago in Kentucky.  The game caught on quickly and almost everyone in that area of the country has played the game or has seen it being played.  Cornhole tournaments are held several times throughout the year in many communities and states in the eastern part of the country and there is even an American Cornhole Association which is responsible for updating rules, setting equipment standards, and sanctioning tournaments.

To play cornhole, you need two cornhole platforms and eight corn bags, four of each color.  Each bag should be six inches by six inches in diameter and be filled with one pound of corn.  Regulation cornhole bags are made from extra soft duck canvas and are filled with pliable high quality feed corn.  You can buy these bags or if you are just planning to play in your yard for leisure, you can make them yourself out of corn and scrap cloth.  Regulation cornhole platforms can be bought or made as long as you know the specifications.

Although the game is generally played outdoors, it is so safe and versatile that it can also be used as indoor entertainment.  Both children and adults can play and enjoy cornhole.  Cornhole can be played in singles or doubles matches. Singles involves both players pitching from the same platform while doubles involves one member of each team pitching from one cornhole platform and the other two players pitching from a second cornhole platform.  Each match is divided into innings.  In each inning, each player pitches all four corn bags.  The match is played until one player or one team reaches twenty-one points at the completion of any inning. 

Scoring in the game of cornhole occurs in three ways.  If the corn bag is thrown into the hole on the platform or goes into the hole when an opposing player throws his or her bag, the player is awarded three points.  This is the ultimate goal of each competitor's toss and racks up the most points at a rapid rate.  Players can score one point if a corn bag that they throw lands somewhere on the cornhole platform directly.  The bag cannot bounce on the ground first before landing on the platform, if this happens the throw is considered foul and is not awarded any points and the bag must be removed before play can resume.  If a bag lands anywhere but in the platform's hole or on the platform, it is considered foul and does not result in any points.

Through writing this article, I have provided you with an introduction of how to play the game of cornhole.  If you are interested in more specific rules or game criteria or are interested in competitive cornhole play, it would probably be very helpful for you to explore the American Cornhole Association's website at http://www.playcornhole.org

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