Ok, admit it, you can't help but smirk when you hear the word 'Cornhole', even its describing a harmless backyard game. If you are a resident of Illinois, Kentucky, or South Carolina, you have seen this game being played all over the place during the spring, summer, and fall. 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 players find themselves in love with the sport from the moment they start playing. It doesn't matter if you are old or young, fat or skinny, or male or female, anyone can play and excel at the simple game. Not only that, you can still hold a conversation while you are playing.

Where was the popular game started? Well, its tough to say but there are rumors that some farmers with a little spare time might have invented the game way back when. In talking with people, it seems that most remember playing the game (or a variation) when they were younger. The object of the game is simple. You place two cornhole platforms 30 feet away from each other and have two competitors alternate tossing cornhole bags at the opposing platform. As the players alternate, they keep throwing until each of their 4 bags is thrown. 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.

The boards themselves can either be purchased online or by constructing them yourself. 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 lot of online retailers will offer portable 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 measure 6"x6" and are made with duck cloth and filled with 1 pound of feed corn.

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. An Ohio tournament was even televised and had hundreds of people linking up to test their skills against other players. The tourneys were really the best way for these players to see how they matched up. It has always been hard to see how good you really were when you're only playing with your neighbors on your homemade cornhole sets. The tournaments are the way to get stiffer competition together in one spot so the players can see where they stand.

Product developers have come to the rescue and met the desires of the fast growing sport. Most cornhole players have either left the bags in the rain or had an animal get inside their bags, well a new company has solved that problem by developing weather resistant cornhole bags which contain plastic as opposed to corn filing. Other product developers have introduced scoring systems so you don't get into fights with your friends trying to keep score. Despite its rapid growth, most people are attracted by the simple nature of the game. .