Only someone from Ohio would not laugh when they heard the word 'cornhole'. Drive anywhere around the midwest in the summer, and you can see the game being played at parties, BBQ's, and charity events. Depending on what area in the country you are in, you might hear the game referred to as cornhole, bags, baggo, or bean bag toss. Whatever you call the cornhole game, most people find themselves addicted to the game from the moment you pick up the bags. Its a game that young and old can play, any shape or size, and something that's easy to do while you continue socializing with others at the party.

Where the game was started is somewhat unknown, most people assume it was started by a group of farmers with some spare corn and some spare time. In talking with people, it seems that most remember playing the game (or a variation) when they were younger. The point of the game is this. Setup two cornhole boards 27 feet away from one another, and have two opponents alternate throwing cornhole bags at the board opposite of them. Each player tosses their four colored bags until they are done. The scoring is pretty simple, a bag that's thrown in the hole is worth 3 points and the ones lying on the board are worth 1. When the round is complete, you count up all the points of each team and the winning team takes the difference and adds them to their total score.

You can choose to attempt to build the platforms themselves or you can go the easy route and buy them at an ecommerce shop. Regulation boards are 4 feet x 2 feet and are made with 1/2"-3/4" plywood. The hole is a 6" circle cut at the top of the board. A popular alternative to the regulation board is the cornhole boards that fold up for easier travel. In some areas of the country, namely Chicago, it is popular to use smaller boards measuring 3'x2'. These boards are a little tougher to play on because of the smaller target and because the pitch is slightly steeper. But, the one advantage is that unlike its bulkier counterpart, these boards actually fit in the trunk of your car and are easier for travel. The bags are pretty simple to make, they are filled with 14-16 ounces of feed corn and they measure 6 inches x 6 inches.

Now, ever year there are more tournaments being announced and sponsored by various organizations. Anything from various cornhole associations, to bars, to charity events. No matter who sponsors it though, you can count on some big draws. In Ohio, the largest cornhole tournament was even televised and had thousands of entries from people wanting to showcase their dominance. The tourneys were really the best way for these players to see how they matched up. Most serious players have never had a chance to assess their level since they were stuck playing backyard games on their homemade cornhole sets. The tournaments are the way to get stiffer competition together in one spot so the players can see where they stand.

And where there is a need for a product, you can always count on various companies coming to fill that need. Ask any avid player and they can tell you that there are two problems with corn filled bags, they can't get wet and they are prone to critter invasions. Thankfully, a company has identified this as a problem and developed the weather resistant cornhole bags which contain plastic as opposed to corn filing. To make things easy on yourself and to save you from getting into unnecessary fights, some companies are developing some scoring systems that will help keep score for you. Although its growing fast, many folks are simply drawn to the game because of its simple concept and nature. Tossing bean bags on a summer evening is about as relaxing as it gets, maybe that's why it's growing so fast.