Cornhole Bags, what's in yours???

It is an outdoor game played with two angled boards facing each other roughly 2' x 4', each with a single hole in it. The holes are spaced 33' apart. Competitors stand beside one board and throw their cornhole bags at the other trying to land their them inside the hole. One gets three points for a bag inside the hole and one point for landing on the board. Points are canceled out so that only the person with the highest point total will accumulate points for that round. For example player one gets 7 points and player two gets 3, player two's 3 points are deducted from player one's 7 and therefore accumulates a total of 4 points for that round. The first player to 21 wins.

That is enough talking about the technical aspects of cornhole. Cornhole is a way of having a good time with friends and family. It is simple enough the kids can do it. It is compact enough to take almost anywhere. It is safe enough that even the intoxicated can't hurt themselves. Cornhole has become a great activity for tailgating, picnics, and family reunions. Cornhole tournaments have also been successfully used as fundraisers.

Whether you call it cornhole, bags, corn hole, baggo, baggs, corn toss, corn bag toss, or something else, Cornhole is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and walks of life.

Cornhole bags are made out of 2 fabric squares with 1/4" double stitched seams on all four sides for a finished bag size of 6" x 6" square. The traditional cornhole bags are made from 12 ounce/yard duck canvas. It may prove beneficial to notch the corners before turning the bags right side out keep corners from bunching up.

People have made alterations to the traditional cornhole bag's design. They have used different fabrics, used double layers of fabric and used one large rectangle folded in half. The video to the right shows a bag being made with double fabric out of a large rectangle.

While I can't tell you what is in yours, I can tell you what is in a typical cornhole bag. Traditionally it is between 14 and 16 ounces of feed corn. Popcorn and plastic beads have been substituted in place of the feed corn. The advantage of popcorn is that it does not break down like feed corn will after repeated use. Plastic beads will not break down or absorb moisture which may ruin a corn bag. Both popcorn and plastic beads offer a more consistent texture than the traditional feed corn. I also found out that if you use feed corn, then you should fumigate the corn before making the bags. You don't want your bags infested?

Yes, there are two standards that I know of. The first is for tournaments sanctioned by the American Cornhole Association and the other is for tournaments sanctioned by the American Cornhole Organization. The major difference is that the American Cornhole Association uses the traditional feed corn and the American Cornhole Organization uses plastic beads.

If you are wondering which is better, it just comes down to personal preference. While the plastic should offer more consistent play, the corn may prove be more challenging due to inconsistency in both texture and weight. It is similar to the choice bowlers have between wood and synthetic lanes.

The American Cornhole Association is an organization chartered with the sole purpose to promote the game of Cornhole or Corn Toss. You can view their website at http://www.playcornhole.org/.

Below is an excerpt from the ACA official rules found on their webpage on the subject of cornhole bags -

The corn bags shall be made from two fabric squares with a quarter inch double stitched seam on all four sides. The corn bags should be made from 12 oz / sq yd duck canvas and may be any color that is easy to see during Cornhole play. Each bag shall be filled with approximately 2 cups of corn feed and finished bags should be a minimum of 6" X 6" square and weigh between 14 and 16 ounces.

The American Cornhole Organization is described as being the governing body for the sport of cornhole. You can view their website at http://www.americancornhole.org/

Below is an excerpt from the ACO official rules found on their webpage on the subject of cornhole bags -

Cornhole Bags - Each bag is made from two fabric squares with a nylon double stitched seam on all four sides. American Cornhole SoftTouch bags are extremely durable, red and blue only for Pro-Sanctioned event. Each finished bag measures 6" x 6". The finished bag is filled with the American Cornhole approved PET Resin. It requires 2 cups weighing approximately .915 to .935 lbs to fill each bag.

Now after all of this talk about what makes cornhole bags official, lets talk about the most important criteria, having fun. Whether filled with corn, plastic, or whatever...if you can throw it through the hole...it will due just fine. There are plenty of products out there to enhance your cornhole experience like beverage holders, hole lights and special glow in the dark cornhole bags. Having a nighttime party? Try strobe lights, black lights, or lights that flash to the beat of your music. The possibilities are endless. Get your game on!