I sort of figured cornhole was a game specifically meant to be played in parking lots due to all the tailgating I was doing. But then I noticed it popping up at a lot of summer BBQs and pool parties too. Brian gets pretty pumped any time he can play a game at a party so our names will inevitably be the first on the cornhole sign-up sheet. Brian and I usually make a pretty good team in that he sinks most of the shots and I run and fetch us fresh beers while I wait for my turn.
I now equate cornhole with laidback summer nights. It's a game that pretty much anyone can play. I say that because if I can play it, anyone can (I'm limited in the hand/eye coordination department). The rules are simple and the turnaround time between teams is fairly quick so everybody gets a turn.
When it came time to start planning our backyard wedding, I naturally took the lead since I'm an event planner for a living. Brian didn't ask for much as far as his "must-haves." Except he insisted that we have cornhole. I was a bit hesitant but in his eyes, it was non-negotiable. Cornhole or bust.
I obliged. We ended up having our neighbor build us two custom cornhole sets (4 boards total) and painted them in our colors - yellow and navy. We ordered our bean bags from Etsy. Easy.
Let me just say this - if you're planning a backyard wedding or any kind of outdoors party, and you want an option for your dance-floor-shy guests, cornhole is a MUST. Since we were blessed with a perfect summer evening, cornhole ended up being the main attraction at our wedding. Seriously. The front yard was packed with people ages 2 - 84, all waiting their turn to play, all night long.
The best part is that we've used the cornhole sets over and over since our wedding weekend. I'm starting to think people are just inviting us to their summer soirees because they know we'll bring cornhole.
In case you've never played cornhole, here's run down of the rules:
- Cornhole can be played as doubles or singles.
- In doubles play one team members pitch from opposite boards. So each team has one player throwing from the left pitcher's box and one throwing from the right.
- In singles play, a player competes against another player (both pitch from the same board). All other rules are the same for doubles or singles play.
- Every match is broken down into frames of play. Players alternate pitching until all 8 bags have been pitched, completing the frame. The player who scored in the preceding frame shall pitch first in the next frame. If neither pitcher scores, the player who pitched first in the preceding frame shall pitch first in the next frame.
- Cornholes - A bag thrown through the hole in the board. A bag can be pushed in by other bags from either player.
- Cornhole = 3 points.
- Woody or Boarder - A bag that is not in-the-hole but lands with any portion resting on the board.
- Woody or Boarder = 1 point.
- If the bag touches the ground before hitting the board or lands hanging off the board while also touching the ground it is called a "Dirty." Any "Dirty" bags must be removed from play before the next bag is tossed.
- Stanker or Foul Bag - Any toss that is not a Cornhole or a Woody.
- Stanker or Foul Bag = 0 points.
- Bags knocked into foul territory by a foul bag should be returned as closely as possible to their original position. This also applies to bags that are knocked into the hole by a foul bag.
Traditional 21 Scoring - In this game opposing players' frame points cancel one another out. Only those points that do not cancel out apply to the total overall score. Example: Team A scores 5 points in a frame and Team B scores 6 points in the same frame. Team B scores 1 point for that frame.
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