Cornhole: 'Poor man's 'horseshoe'

Fun in the sun. Some beachgoers along Minutemen Causeway recently try their luck at cornhole. One reason the game is so popular? Its mobility. It can be played in a parking lot, at a bar, on the beach, at the park or in your backyard. To order a board, visit www.floridacornholeleague.com. (Credit: Heath Chapman, special to Metromix)

Take aim, Brevard: Cornhole is taking the county by storm. But don’t let the quirky name fool you. The object of the game is to throw 1-pound square sacks filled with corn kernels into a hole.

“The people who play call it ‘cornhole.’ People who don’t play call it bags, corn toss, and they call it everything else,” says Mike Barker, operator of floridacornholeleague.com. “I think if it ever became a national level, they may change the name. But once they see it, they’re kind of like, ‘Oh, OK.’ Then they’re hooked.”

“Well, some call it ‘the poor man’s horseshoe,’ ” says Chad Hintz of Port St. John, bar and grill manager at River City Bar and Grill at River Lanes in Titusville. River Lanes hosts cornhole tournaments at 8 p.m. Wednesdays for $6 per person.

To get started, two teams of two players stand about 33 feet apart — the length from board to board — and aim for the hole. If they make it, they get 3 points. If the cornhole bag lands on the board, it’s 1 point. But if both players land a bag on the board, the bags cancel each other out and no one gets points for that round. The first team to score 21 points wins.

A game takes “anywhere between five and 20 minutes,” Barker says. “It really depends on the caliber of players.” Those who win cornhole land anything from bragging rights to what Barker says is the biggest prize he’s seen at a cornhole tournament, $900.

What’s the secret to landing a cornhole bag in the hole? “Lots of practice,” Barker says. “Many people throw different ways.” Throwing (the cornhole bag) like a Frisbee helps, too, says Doug Wilson of Mims.

Don Cook, co-owner of Rounders in Titusville, which hosts tournaments at 8 p.m. Mondays, suspects the cornhole craze is growing in Brevard because of the game’s mobility. “It’s popular because it could be played indoors or outdoors,” he says. “It could be played by men and women. It could be played while you’re drinking, which works well in a bar. People just have fun.”

“We get a wide range of people who come in, so it’s not just the young guys,” Hintz says. “And sometimes the older ladies whip their butts.”

Sports Edge Bar and Grill in Titusville also hosts cornhole tournaments at 7 p.m. Tuesdays. It’s $5 to play, and the best throwers win cash prizes.