WHAT IS CORNHOLE?
Cornhole is a lawn game consisting of two different colored sets of bean bags and two identical goals. The objective is for a team to score 21 points by tossing the bean bags onto the goals, or into the "center" cornhole. The game is played with 4 bags per team and teams typically have 1 or 2 players. Cornhole is a great family oriented game that is perfect for grill-outs, BBQ's, and parties!

The goal design, bag design, and rules are the way that I (and most of those that I hang out with) play it. Therefore, don't be afraid to add your own twists to the design and the rules. The official rules are available at www.playcornhole.org.

HISTORY
The term "Cornhole" originated on the west-side of Cincinnati, Ohio. If you ever visit Cincy's west-side (all the 'burbs west of I-75), you'll more than likely find a sign for someone selling Cornhole sets and/or Cornhole tournaments at a local bar. I have no idea who started it and no idea how long it's been played. Being a Cincy native, I was pretty impressed to learn that Chicagoans also partake in Cornhole. Of course, they don't call it "Cornhole", but rather very boring names like "The Bean Bag Game". Regardless, the game is more-or-less the same.

HOW TO PLAY
Game Setup
The goals are set on a level surface, 27 ft. apart (from the front of each goal). Players must toss from anywhere behind the front edge of the goal (you can also force players to stay behind the back edge). Assuming that you have 4 players, they should divide into 2 teams, with one player from each team at each goal. If you only have two players, then they throw from the same goal and must walk back and forth each round, hence simulating a 4 player game (hope that's not too confusing!).

The Play
The players should decide which team goes first (coin toss, beer chugging contest, etc). Each team throws from the SAME goal, alternating between teams with each throw. It is recommended to throw the bags underhand, but it is not required. I've seen players throw overhand, side-armed, and even like a Frisbee! All throws count that are on the goal or in the cornhole at the END of the round. It is acceptable for the bags to hit the ground first and bounce or roll onto the goal. A bag that is partially on the goal is acceptable, as long as it's not touching the ground. "Leaners", which are essentially laying on the ground, but touching the side of the goal, do not count for any points.

After all the bags are thrown, the round score is calculated. Bags on top of the goal count for 1 point, while cornholes count for 3 points. However, only team can score per round! To determine the round score, add up each team's points and then take the difference between the two scores. The difference is awarded to the team with the most points from that round. For example, if Team 1 has two bags on the goal and one in the cornhole while Team 2 has only one bag on the goal and none in the cornhole, Team 1 scores the difference, which is 4 (5-1). Whichever team scored in the previous round goes first in the next round. If no team scored in the previous round, then whichever team went first that round continues to go first in the next round.

The game continues until one team reaches EXACTLY 21 points. If a team exceeds 21 total points at the end of a round, that round's points are SUBTRACTED from that team's score. For instance, if Team 2 has 19 points and scores 4 points at the end of the current round, they lose 4 points instead of gaining them as 4 points will make their score 23. Therefore, their new score is 15 (19-4). If a team loses points, they still have honors and go first in the next round.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN CORNHOLE SET
So you want to build a set of your own, eh?! Good for you! Note that there are variations of Cornhole out there, so the following dimensions are what I use. If you know of a different variation, please let me know

The Goals
The goals are the most time consuming to build, but can be done fairly quickly if you have all the right tools and are pretty handy with wood. Note that I'm a rookie at woodworking, so if I can do it, so can you!

• Standard 4'x8' plywood. 1/2" thick recommended. (Anything thicker is too heavy and thinner is too easy to break by a moron jumping on it!)
• 15'-20' 2"x2" (used internally for support, so specific lengths aren't a big deal and are cut smaller than 1', so misc pieces will work fine)
• Safety glasses
• Tape measure
• 4' long straight edge (preferably a framing square)
• Pencil for marking the cutting lines
• Table saw OR circular saw OR hand saw (if all you have is a hand saw, GOOD LUCK!)
• RotoZip, sabre saw, or equivalent for cutting large holes in plywood.
• Box of 1" or 1-1/2" wood screws (you can use nails, but screws are more secure)
• Electric Drill
• Mitre Saw (optional)

Cutting the 8'x4' Plywood
All the required pieces to build BOTH goals can be cut from the single sheet of 8'x4' plywood. The following design shows how to layout the cuts so that you can make the most of your plywood:

Click here to see the plywood cutting design

For best results, make all these cuts with either a table saw or a circular saw with a long straight edge guide. Also, keep in mind that you will lose about 1/8" of material from the cut, so cut out each section individually. The blue diagonally "hatched" section of the design is the only scrap you'll have!

Goal Design
The following layout shows how all the pieces fit together and where to cut out the hole:

Click here to see the goal design image

There are two steps required to take the pieces from the cut plywood step and get them ready for assembly. First, take the two 1'-11" x 11 1/2" pieces and the two 1'-11" x 3 1/4" pieces and cut a 10° angle off the top edge of each piece. This will allow the playing surface to rest firmly against the frame of the goal. The next step is to cut the holes in both playing surfaces. I used a compass to draw the 6" diameter holes and borrowed a RotoZip tool from a friend of mine to make the cut. I'm definitely not a carpenter, but I'm sure there's better ways to do it. If you have a suggestion, please let me know what worked for you!

Cornhole Links
- Official Cornhole/Corn Toss Players Association - The "official" Cornhole site
- EZBoard's Cornhole Message Board - Post Cornhole questions, get rule variations, etc.
- Cincinnati.com - Learn a little more about Cornhole's history and the Cincy west-side