Official Corn Hole Rules
Please note these rules were taken from the American Corn Hole Organization. Please find these official rules at the following link; http://americancornhole.com/aco-official-rules-for-the-sport-of-cornhole/
1. Cornhole Court Layout
Cornhole Court: A regulation size cornhole court is 8 feet wide and 40 feet long with a recommended vertical clearance of twelve (12) feet. If a tournament court has a clearance of less than 12 feet, it must be noted in the tourney listing prior to the event.
This court consists of two (2) player’s lanes:
Lane 1: Designated pitchers boxes, on the left side of the board when your back is to the scoring tower
Lane 2: Designated pitchers boxes, on the right side of the board when your back is to the scoring tower
Cornhole Boards: Boards are positioned 27’ from the front edge to front edge of the board.
Cornhole Pitchers Boxes: A designated pitchers box is a 4’x 3’ area at each end of the court and on both sides of each board; (4) boxes in all.
Cornhole Foul Lines: The front edge of the cornhole board is the foul line.
2. Cornhole Court Preparation and Maintenance
Every effort shall be made to keep the cornhole playing surface in perfect playing condition. Players are responsible for making sure the court is in good playing condition prior to starting the match.
No foreign substance (such as Pledge®, talc powder, baby powder,silicone sprays) may be applied to the playing surface or bags by an individual player before or during cornhole play.
A dry clean cloth may be used to wipe down the boards prior to the start of the game.
3. Length of Games:
Traditional 21. The game shall be played to the predetermined number of twenty-one (21) points. The first player/team to reach (or exceed) that amount at the conclusion of a frame is the winner
4. Cornhole Scoring
Bag Terms:
Woody: Refers to any cornhole bag that has been pitched and remains on the cornhole board playing surface at the conclusion of the frame.
Cornhole: Refers to any cornhole bag that has been pitched and passes through the cornhole board hole at any time within the frame.
Foul Bags: Refers to any cornhole bag that has not been determined as a“woody”or“cornhole”, or was designated a foul bag as the result of rules violation.
5. Designated Foul Bags
Any bag pitched without at least one foot or appendage completely inside the pitcher’s box at the time of release.
Any bag not pitched within the 15 second time limit.
A bag pitched from a different pitcher’s box than their designated pitcher’s box.
Any bag that contacted the court or the ground before coming to rest on the playing surface.
Any bag that comes to rest touching the ground and the board.
Any bag which struck a previously defined object such as a tree limb, wire, indoor court ceiling, etc.
6. Methods of Scoring
Cancellation Scoring: The approved method of scoring for the sport of cornhole is“cancellation”scoring. In cancellation scoring, the points of one player cancel out the points of their opponent. Using this method, only one player/team can score in each frame.
Woody: Each woody is worth one (1) point
Cornhole: Each cornhole is worth three (3) points
Example: Red achieves one (1) woody and two (2) cornholes during the frame (7 total pts) Blue achieves two (2) woodies and zero (0) cornholes during the frame (2 total pts) 7 points – 2 points = Red scores 5 points for that frame
7. Recording the Score
No cornhole bags shall be moved before the scoring is determined. If this decision is in doubt, a Certified Official shall be called to determine the scoring for the frame in question.
Recording the Score: Players are encouraged to pay close attention to the score at all times. Players are required to update their score on the score tower at the conclusion of each frame. Players may call upon the Certified Official between frames if any discrepancy occurs regarding the correct score.
8. Pitching Cornhole Bags
Pitching: Players alternate pitching bags (one player at a time) until each player has pitched all (4) of his/her bags. A player must pitch all (4) cornhole bags from their designated cornhole pitchers box. Players must deliver the bag with an under-hand release. One foot or appendage must be completely within the pitchers box at the time of releasing the bag. When pitching a bag, players must release the bag before any part of the player’s body touches the ground on or beyond the foul line.
Pitching the Next Frame: The player/team who scored in the preceding frame shall pitch first in the next frame. If neither player/team scores, the player/team who pitched first in the preceding frame shall retain first pitch in the next frame.
Accidental Release: Any cornhole bag that leaves a players hand once the final step (if taken) and final forward swing of the delivery process has started, shall count as a pitched bag. A cornhole bag that is accidentally dropped by a player before the final step (if taken) and final forward swing has started, shall not be considered a foul bag and may be picked up and pitched.
Pitching Out of Turn: If a player pitches out of turn at any time during a frame, their pitch will be considered a Foul Bag and swept from the playing surface. If the out-of-turn bag affects any bags in play, their opponent has the option of returning all cornhole bags to their original position on the playing surface or leaving all bags as they are. If the error is not discovered until after two (2) cornhole bags have been pitched, the frame shall continue and be score accordingly. If no agreement can be reached, a Certified Official shall be called. The Certified Official shall either determine the scoring or void the inning and order it to be repitched.
Touching bags before Frame is complete: If any bags in scoring positions (woodies or cornholes) are touched by a player, whether intentionally or unintentionally, before all bags during the frame are pitched, the frame is over. The offending team (team who touches the bags) forfeits all remaining bags and tallies the score for the bags they have already thrown during the frame The non-offending team tallies 12 points as if they had thrown 4 cornholes during the frame.
IMPORTANT NOTE: 12 pts are NOT automatically added the overall score (scoreboard). The 12 pts are only used within this specific frame before cancellation.
EXAMPLE:
Red has thrown 3 bags equaling 5 points to this point in the frame
Blue has thrown 3 bags equaling 8 points to this point in the frame
Blue accidentally reaches down and grabsthe bags
The frame is over
Blue’s remaining bag is declared dead and their previous points are tallied
Red tallies 12 points for the frame, as if they had thrown cornholes
12 Red points- 8 Blue points
Red scores 4 points for that frame
9. Other General Rules
Moving Cornhole Boards and Bags: A player can only straighten cornhole boards in between frames and with the approval of their opponent. A CertifiedOfficial may be called to determine replacement if a discrepancy is in question.