Cornhole is a popular recreational sport that originated in the Midwest, but has since expanded to other regions of the country. One of the ways you really know when a game has “arrived” is when there’s a professional circuit and pay-to-play tournaments set up around the sport. Cornhole has reached that level where it is not uncommon to have a dozen major tournaments going on in a month across just as many states. A true cornhole tournament is one that is sanctioned by the American Cornhole Association (ACA).  This is the official governing body for the sport as they take care of standardizing the rules, setting up official tournaments, and working tirelessly to expand the game’s influence.  Based on the increasing number of stories about the game of cornhole appearing in the news, it certainly appears that their efforts are paying off in a big way.

There are a few differences between the rules and approaches tournaments take as opposed to just a friendly backyard game. One of the biggest differences is the length of where the corn boards are set. For an informal game, generally 20 feet is seen as a good distance for people to practice, and obviously if the game is being played at a family get-together it doesn’t really matter if it’s even closer. When you’re talking about an official pro tournament game or match, the distance between corn boards is supposed to be 27 feet. This longer distance definitely gives for a more challenging game that really tests the skill level of players on both teams.  Additionally, regulation cornhole bags must be six inches on each side and exactly 16 ounces in weight, while bags for recreational, backyard use quite often are smaller and weigh less as a cost-saving measure.

The entry fees for these tournaments can vary greatly. While you will occasionally see a tournament where entrance is free, these are less common and often times are more of the recruiting type of setup hoping to get more serious players involved in the sport. On the lower end of things many tournaments charge $10 a person or $20 a team for entry, while some of the higher end tournaments will charge as high as $50 or $60 a team for entry. There are commonly tournaments in over a dozen different states ranging from Minnesota down to Florida and many of the states in between the two. These tournaments can be either for single players, teams of two, or some even have events for both. Cornhole is a versatile game and its growing popularity is not surprising considering how simple but fun it is.

Part of the appeal of the game is how simple it is. Cornhole is not a hard game to learn at all but you could spend months or even years getting better and better at it and honing your skills to become a stronger player. All you need to play are some cornhole bags, a couple of cornhole boards, and a few people who would rather spend some quality time together in friendly competition as opposed to wasting away yet another day in front of the TV or computer. This is one of the major reasons why cornhole is a sport that is here to stay.