It’s summertime, and whether you’re grilling out or having a neighborhood block party or tailgating with your friends, chances are there’s somebody flinging sacks of corn (or beans, depending on your preference) into a hole in the middle of a piece of plywood somewhere nearby. The only variance to the tableau: what the participants are calling the game. It could be Bags or Baggo or Bean Bag Toss or Sack Toss or Bean Sack or Corn Toss or Bag Board or Faba Baga or Dummy Boards or Dadhole or Doghouse or Hillbilly Horseshoes or Indiana Horseshoes or Soft Horseshoes. It just depends on where you’re from and/or where you’re currently located. Take a look at the following facts.
IMAGE: PIXABAY
A Brief History Of The Game
No one knows exactly how Cornhole (or Bags or Baggo or Bean Bag Toss or Sack Toss or Bean Sack or whatever you want to call it, just take your pick.) originated. Some believe that a hardworking German man in the 14th century started the game after watching boys throw rocks at a groundhog burrow. (Too bad he didn’t live in the 21st century and have access to an experienced EB-5 attorney who could have helped him capitalize on this discovery in America.)
Others think it has its origins in the 16th century game of “Quoits,” mentioned by Shakespeare in King Henry IV. Still, more date the game back to Native American cultures that tossed around pig bladders filled with beans for entertainment, while those tracing a more direct lineage credit Heyliger Adams de Windt’s 1883 patent for a “Game Apparatus for Playing Parlor-Quoits,” since it most clearly depicts the game as it is played today. Whatever the case, humans have been throwing around bags and calling it a game for a very long time.
The Basics Of Play
Perhaps Cornhole’s popularity resides in the fact that it’s easy to play. All you need are two boards with holes in them and the ability to throw something 30 feet. According to the American Cornhole Association, the first rule of Cornhole is to have fun! There are some specifics about board and bag dimensions, as well as foul lines, but the general concept is this: stand within the pitcher’s box and try to throw a canvas filled bag of feed corn into a round hole 30 feet away.
Players may play in teams or by themselves with each side throwing a total of four bags per round. Bags that land in the hole receives three points. Those that land on the board, but don’t make it into the hole, receive one point. And those that land on the ground receive nothing. There exists some variation to scoring methods, but generally, identical throws from each side cancel each other out at the end of each round with the first player or team to 21 winning the game.
It’s All About The Name… Or Is It?!
The part of the country you’re from or currently living in determines what you call the game. A lot of players along the East Coast, as well as many southern states like North Carolina and Georgia, prefer “Cornhole.” Chicagoans and residents within the upper central portions of the United States like Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin prefer “Bags.”
It’s a point of pride for many players, announcing their allegiance to specific gaming communities and serving as beacons for particular U.S. regions. But don’t fear; Cornhole (the official name of the professional sport) can be called anything and played by anyone, as it’s been done for centuries. Leave us a comment and tell you what you prefer!
If you are interested in even more lifestyle-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.
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