Whilst the origins of cornhole aren’t clear, it’s popularity has seen a dramatic surge in recent years. The American Cornhole Association (ACA) was first formed in 2003 and since then the sport has not only become a favourite pastime in backyards across America but has also grown to become a national, professionally played sport.

If you want to give cornhole a go, you will need to know how to set up your own court, learn the rules and be able to score your game. With this in mind, we have created a comprehensive cornhole guide that will cover all the cornhole regulations, including distances between cornhole boards, regulation cornhole board and bag sizes, the official playing rules, how to score a game plus much more!

After reading this guide you will know the game of cornhole like the back of your hand and have all the information you need to play this fun, family-friendly sport correctly.

What is cornhole?

Cornhole is a fun old American lawn game where small fabric bags filled with either plastic pellets or corn feed are tossed at a target consisting of an upward facing sloping wooden platform, with a circular hole at one end to earn points and win the game.

Why is it called cornhole?

Like the origins of cornhole, the etymology of the name is also unclear. The most likely explanation is quite self-explanatory, with ‘corn’ relating to bags of corn and ‘hole’ referring to the target hole in the cornhole board. When you manage to toss your bag into the hole, it’s called ‘a cornhole’, implying that you’ve got your corn in the hole.

How far apart should cornhole boards be?

Knowing how far apart cornhole boards should be is essential for adult and junior play as it ensures the spacing between cornhole boards meet the regulation distances set out by the ACA, meaning the boards aren’t too close together or far apart.

Cornhole boards should be placed directly opposite one another with the front edges of the boards 27ft/8.2m apart, with the holes on each of the boards 33ft/10.1m apart.

The playing area is modified to accommodate the skill level of younger players. The ACA state that for junior players aged 12 and under, the distance between the front edge of the two boards should be reduced to 12ft-15ft/3.7m-4.6m apart, making the holes on the board 18ft-21ft/5.5m-6.4m apart.

cornhole court dimensions

Cornhole Dimensions

Having covered the regulation distance between cornhole boards we’ll now go through the other important dimensions you need to be aware of when setting up your cornhole court.

Cornhole Court Dimensions

The total length of an adult cornhole court is 35ft/10.7m long, which is the distance between the back edges of the boards on either side of the court. The length of a junior cornhole court is much shorter in length at 20ft-23ft/6m-7m.

The total width of the court is 8ft/2.4m and runs along the back edges of the pitcher’s boxes on both sides of the board. This is the same for all junior matches.

Cornhole Board Dimensions

According to the ACA, cornhole boards should be made from smooth plywood and need to be at least 0.5in thick, measuring 48in/4ft/1.2m in length and 24in/2ft/0.6m in width.

The circular hole in each cornhole board that players aim their throws towards should be 6in/0.5ft in diameter. The centre of the circle will be 9in from the top edge of the board and 12in from each side of the board. The back edge of the board needs to be raised 12in/1ft off the ground during play using a wooden block or stand.

The dimensions of the board remain consistent throughout adult and junior games.

Cornhole Bags

Cornhole bags are made from two fabric squares 6.3in by 6.3in with a stitched seam on all sides. When lying flat the cornhole bag should be 1in thick. The bags need to be filled with either plastic pellets or corn feed and can weigh between 14-16.3 ounces. This is standard for adult and junior cornhole.

cornhole board bag dimensions

Where do players throw from in Cornhole?

Knowing where you can throw your bags from is pivotal when playing cornhole. Throw from the wrong place and you risk a ‘foul bag’ where you’ll score no points for that throw, regardless of where the bag lands, which could be the difference between winning and losing.

Players can throw the bags from within the 4ft/1.2m x 3ft/0.9m pitcher’s boxes that are parallel with, and on either side of the board. The front edge of the pitcher’s boxes are called the foul lines. They are in line with the front edge of the cornhole board and players cannot make contact with, or cross the foul line, otherwise a ‘foul bag’ is called.

The pitcher’s boxes in the junior game are the same size as those in the adult game.

cornhole board

How to throw a Cornhole Bag

The ACA and ACO state that players must pitch the bag with an underhanded release from within the pitching box. Players are also not permitted to touch the ground on or beyond the foul line before their bag has contacted the board at the opposite end of the cornhole court. If a player does cross the foul line too early, then a foul bag will be called, and 0 points will be scored.

How to Play Cornhole

The rules of cornhole are fairly simple, which is one of the reasons why it is so popular amongst people of all ages. The game is typically played between two individuals or two teams consisting of two people, also known as partners. If you’re playing at home, then you can play with teams of more than two. At the start of the game each player/team will begin with 4 cornhole bags, meaning each game has 8 cornhole bags in play. A coin flip will then determine who throws first in round one.

One player from the team who has ‘honors’ shall begin play by throwing a cornhole bag at the opposite cornhole box. As mentioned before, a cornhole player may throw from a standing position from anywhere behind the front of the cornhole box they are throwing from. The game continues by alternating throws between the opponent players until all 8 cornhole bags have been thrown.

In the unlikely event that a cornhole bag hits the ground and then bounces up onto the cornhole board, that bag shall be taken off the playing surface. Once all bags have been thrown, they are collected, and scores are tallied up. Honors for the next round is then given to the team/player who scored the most points in the previous round. The next round starts when the other cornhole player on the team, which has honors, throws their first cornhole bag. For the new round, players will throw from the opposite end to which they threw from in the first round. If the scores from a round are tied, then whoever threw first in the last round will have honors again.

Cornhole Game Scoring

The scoring in cornhole is again very simple to understand. Below we have detailed how the scoring works in each individual round.

3 points for a cornhole bag that goes through the hole. The bag may fall directly into the hole, slide into the hole or be knocked into the hole by another bag.

1 point for a cornhole bag that is on the playing surface of the cornhole board.

1 point for a cornhole bag that is hanging into the cornhole board hole without dropping through the hole.

1 point for a cornhole bag that is hanging off the edge of the cornhole board but not touching the ground.

0 points for a cornhole bag that is on the cornhole board, but also touching the ground.

0 points for a cornhole bag that is hanging off the front edge and is resting on a cornhole bag that is on the ground (unless the cornhole bag on the ground can be removed without making the hanging bag fall to the ground, then one point is given).

Cancellation scoring is used in cornhole, meaning the points each player/team earns each is subtracted from the opponent's score to give you an overall score. For example, if Team A scores four points and Team B earns three, then the score for Team A is one point and the score for Team B is zero. The first team to reach 21 points wins.

Can you go over 21 in cornhole?

A rule that can be played at home if you wish, is the ‘bust’ rule. This is where you need to get to exactly 21 points to win but go ‘bust’ if you exceed the 21-point mark. For example, if your team is on 20 and scores another 3 points at the end of a round, you will have 23 points, go bust and have your score reset to between 11 and 15 points, dependent on the rules you are playing.

However, no professional organisation uses the bust rule. Play continues until a score of at least 21 points is achieved by one team at the conclusion of a round. Players or teams don’t have to win by a minimum of two points and neither player or team is penalized for achieving a score over 21 points. The game is simply finished, and that player or team wins the game.

How long does a game of Cornhole last?

As mentioned previously, the game lasts until a team has scored 21 points using the method described above. There is no set law on how many rounds there should be, but if you’re playing at home, you can set a number of rounds to speed up your game and the person/team with the most points at the end of the rounds is declared the winner. Some tournaments have a six-round limit, and others set a 20/30-minute time limit on games. If you reach 21 points before the clock runs out you win, but if the time does expire without any side reaching 21, then the player/team with the most points will win.

At Net World Sports we carry a full handcrafted Harrier Cornhole Board Set including 2 cornhole boards, 8 cornhole bags and a carry bag so you can take your games anywhere. We also have a range of other fun and easy to play Harrier backyard games to keep the whole family entertained such as Giant Jenga, Giant Connect 4 and Croquet.