Cornhole: the outdoor game for family and friends
Cornhole is a popular outdoor game in America. It’s associated with soccer, and amateurs play it in the pre-game (Tailgate). The aim is to throw the bag directly into the hole. Camping enthusiasts have been playing it for a long time, but it’s only in recent years that Cornhole has gained in popularity! If you’d like to give it a try and show off your skills this summer in front of friends and family, here’s how! everything you need to know about Cornhole!
What is Cornhole?
Cornhole can be translated as: corn hole or hole corn. It’s not a pretty translation, which is why it’s commonly known as jeu de poches. The aim is to throw bags filled with corn into the hole of a wooden board.
Easy at first glance, but this outdoor game requires a little know-how, practice and a few rules.
How to play Cornhole
Cornhole is played according to set rules and requires equipment that also complies with regulations.
Cornhole equipment
The Cornhole consists of :
- 8 cotton bags (preferably sturdy to prevent them from exploding on impact), 6 inches by 6 inches and weighing between 430 and 450 grams of corn, or one pound.
- 2 wooden boards, 48 inches long by 24 inches wide. The hole should be exactly 6″ in diameter and 6″ from the top of the board.
Your boards must be inclined according to strict standards. The board is raised 12 inches at the rear and 3 to 4 inches at the front. Now you’re ready to compete!
Cornhole rules for two players
Let’s get started…
First step: place the two boards at an angle to each other. distance of 27 feet or holes at a distance of 33 feet, face to face.
À For two players, each player takes 4 bags of the same color and stands on either side of a board. The limit is the edge of the wooden board.
Cornhole rules for four players
Four players form two teams of two. One member of each team takes four bags of the same color. These two equipped players stand on either side of a board, without going over the edge (which corresponds to the edge of the board for those who follow.)
The other two players stand on the other board, opposite the player on their team and wait (snack, candy or aperitif in hand).
How a game of Cornhole unfolds
When each player is in his place, you can start the game.
Each player in turn throws his bags of corn and performs the following operation four throws. Concentration is key, as each throw can earn you points, even if you fail to hit the hole in the wooden board.
How do you keep score at Cornhole?
- 0 points for bags on the ground;
- 1 point for each bag on the board;
- 3 points for bags that fall into the hole.
The team with the most points in a round wins.
The winning team subtracts the opponent’s points and scores the points that separate the two teams’ scores.
For example, the red team scored 12 points, the blue team 6 points. The difference is 6 points.
Red team wins 6 points.
Another round begins:
- Two players: players change places and stand next to the other board before throwing.
- With four players: it’s the team-mates’ turn to throw.
A game ends only when a player or team reaches or exceeds 21 points.
Why play Cornhole?
Playing Cornhole has many advantages.
- You want to vary your pleasures: you’ve had enough of ball games and cricket, you’re looking for something new and new experiences.
- Cornhole is a friendly game: you can play it with children, grandparents or friends.
- Cornhole encourages you to get outside and enjoy the garden.
- Cornhole has simple rules that should appeal to the widest possible audience.
- DIY enthusiasts can build their own Cornhole and customize the boards.
- There are folding Cornhole models that you can take with you wherever you go.
How to make a Cornhole
Cornhole boards require a certain budget. So you can make this outdoor game yourself and personalize it as you wish.
What you need to make your Cornhole
For the Cornhole board:
- A 120 x 60 cm plywood board
- A 120 x 60 cm wooden frame
- 2 pieces of 40 cm for feet
- One meter
- A pencil
- A compass and a ruler
- A drill
- Screws
- A sauté pan
- A hammer
- A saw
- Putty
- Painting
For bags of corn :
- A scale
- Corn
- One meter
- Needle and thread
- From the canvas
- Scissors
- Textile glue
Cornhole board manufacturing steps
- On the edge of the board, measure the middle (30 cm). Then, lengthwise, measure 23 cm. This is the center of the hole.
- Starting from the center of the hole, make a circle 8 cm in diameter.
- Drill the hole with a drill, then slide in the sauté pan to cut the circle.
- Sand the circle.
- Secure the frame under the board with 12 screws.
- Fix the feet to the top of the board, on the hole side. Be careful, they must be at an angle. You’ll need to saw them at an angle on each side.
- Now your Cornhole board is ready, all you have to do is mask the screws with wood filler and sand the whole thing down.
- Then apply varnish or undercoat to personalize your board.
Cornhole’s corn bag production process
- Cut 8 18 cm squares from the canvas.
- Overlap 2 squares and secure with pins.
- Sew 3 of the 4 sides 1.5 cm from the edge.
- Reinforce these seams with glue. This solidifies the seams to prevent the corn kernels from escaping.
- Fill the bag with corn kernels, between 400 and 450 grams.
- Close the bag with thread and needle, then reinforce with glue.
For a variety of bag colors, choose two different fabric patterns.
The Cornhole story
This throwing game clearly originated in the Middle Ages, in Europe to be precise. Historians soon lost track of it, however, and it was in the United States that it was discovered in the 19th century. At the time, it was a fashionable game, played in the Midwest (for corn plantations) and never lost its popularity across the Atlantic.
In fact, the Americans have turned it into a national sport, and tournaments are broadcast on a sports channel. This famous throwing game couldn’t go unnoticed for long in Europe, and for some time now it’s been making its way into gardens, to the point of dethroning Möllky!
Cornhole, your next summer game?
And there you have it, you know absolutely everything about Cornhole. Now all you have to do is play and, why not, form a league of players with your friends. The rules of Cornhole are simple, and the pleasure of playing is the same as for pétanque or Möllky.
