Official Cornhole Rules and American Cornhole Association (ACA) Rules. Most members of the ACA developed the rules, and legislation most members of the ACA developed the regulations and legislation.
About the Game:
DIMENSIONS
The Cornhole Court will be a rectangular area of 8–10 feet wide and a minimum of 40–45 feet in length. The court should include two cornhole boards, designated pitcher box, and foul lines.
Pitch box
The pitcher box is 4 feet 3 feet, which is parallel to each end of the rectangle and is on either side of the board. Each player must remain in the pitcher while distributing the cornhole bag.
Foam line
There are two sets of foul lines: Open Adult-Play and Junior-Play for children 12 and younger. Adult dirty routes will be defined as an imaginary line of 27 feet in front of each circle.
Junior-play, foul routes are defined as imaginary lines 12–15 feet in front of each board. The offensive line must be parallel to the opposite board to meet the ACA guidelines.
Equipment
The standard for Conhole Boards and Bags
The American Cornhole Association has adopted the following equipment specifications and standards:
- Each board should be a 23.5 to a 24-inch rectangle of 47.5 to 48 inches made of plywood that is at least 0.5 inches thick. The ACA Approved Cornhole Tournament should only be played with a wooden board, as there is significant variation in play between wood, plastic and other surfaces. “If you are playing this game in your backyard with friends and family or competing for a local tournament, choosing a Funny Cornhole Team Name is one of the funniest parts of the game.”
- The hole in the board will be 6 inches in diameter. Its center will be 9 inches from the top and 12 inches from each side of the board edges.
- The front of the board will be 3-4 inches from bottom to top.
- The back of the board will be approximately 12 inches from the ground to the highest point of the deck.
- A very smooth texture will be sanded to finish the board, and there will be no defects in the wood surface that can disrupt or distort the game.
- The board can be painted with a semi-gloss exterior latex paint resulting in a surface that allows the bag to slide but is not so slippery that it will enable the bag to slide back down is.
- Cornhole bags shall be made of two fabric squares with a 0.25-inch stitched seam on all sides in 6.25 square inches. The container should be made of durable fabric. Each bag will be filled with about 2 cups of feed corn, and the finished bag should be about
- square inches and weigh 14-16 ounces. The ACA will allow the use of plastic pellets (All Weather Cornhole Bags) in exchange for feed corn. The ACA offers corn-filled and all-weather cornhole bags.
Play the game
Every match is broken in the innings of the game. During a stanza of the game, each player must pitch all four of his bags. A verse is never complete until all players lose their bags from all four sides.
Singles play – Player A’s combat player B.
- Both players stay in their designated lane for the entire game.
- Players start the game on the headboard and present the pitching bag alternately until each player has patted all four of their pockets.
- Players then walk to the end of their lane on the second court, take the score, and resume pitching back to the second board.
- The top of an innings is completed when the first player receives all four bags; The bottom half of the stanza is completed when the remaining player pitches all four bags.
Doubles Play – Team A competes against Team B; Each team consists of two people.
- Each side will remain in its designated lane for the entire game.
- Players on the headboard will present the pitching bag in turn until each player has opened all four of their pockets.
- Players on the footboard will resume scores on the other board.
- Both players completed the top of the innings when all four bags were on the pitch from the headboard pitch; The lower half of the stanza is completed when the rest of the players pitch around from the footboard pitch.
Bag price
The approved method of scoring for the game of cornhole is “cancellation” scoring. In cancellation scoring, a player’s points cancel out their opponent’s positions. Using this method, only one player/team can score in each innings.
Bag-in-the-counter (woody): Any bag that comes to rest anywhere above the board. Each is worth one (1) point.
Bag-in-hole (Cornhole): Any bag that is thrown through a hole or knocked through a tunnel from another container. Each is worth three (3) points.
Foul bag – refers to any container that is not defined as a bag-in-count or bag-in-hole or a bag was specified as a result of a violation of the rules
Pitching
The player who scores the previous innings is awarded on the first pitch in the next inning. If neither player/team scores, the player/team pitching first in the opening frame will retain the first pitch in the next frame.
Marking players’ positions
- At the time of release, the pitcher must be inside the pitcher box or behind the foul line.
- A player must pitch all four bags from his designated pitcher box.
- Players must throw the pack with an underhand release.
Flower bags
The following rules are violations, which must be observed and stated by a player or assigned judge. The penalty is for the container to be declared a dishonest suitcase, which has to be removed from the court before playing. A foul bag is defined as:
(a) The player (1) has any bag placed on contact or crossing with the offensive line, or (2) the pitcher has started or completely stepped outside the box before the container is released.
(b) No bags were given within the time limit of 20 seconds
(c) Pouch removed from a different pitcher box than the first bag
(d) Any container that has moved the court or ground before coming to rest on the board.
(e) Any bag that is hit by a pre-defined object such as tree limbs, wire, indoor court ceiling, etc.
(f) Any bag removed from the board before scoring has been agreed to that bag
(g) The offending team (which touches the bags) confiscates all remaining bags and lengthen the scores of discarded bags before being reported for dishonesty.
(h) The non-offensive team tallies twelve (12) as if they had thrown four bags in-hole (cornhole) during the innings.
(i) A bag that gets out of a player’s hand will be counted as a pitched bag when the final movie of the delivery process has begun.
(j) A bag that is accidentally dropped by the player will not be considered dishonest before the last forward swing starts and can be picked up and raised. Conflict – If a player wants to.