Cornhole - Simple to make, hours of fun

The game of Cornhole is similar in concept to Horseshoes or Lawn Darts. However, instead of pitching heavy iron horse shoes or throwing sharp pointed darts, you toss corn-filled bags into a hole. The name of Cornhole is probably more common in the Midwest and is a popular game in college and at tailgate parties.

Contestants take turns pitching their corn bags at the corn hole boards or platforms until a contestant reaches the score of 21 points. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. This game is fun and addicting and there are official rules in the construction and dimension of the boards and playing the game.

I just made these cornhole boards for my son who is a true Illinois fan (he has an Illinois room in his house filled with Illinois memorabilia). The entire board is made of 1/2” MDO plywood. Overall size is about 24”x48”. The paints were custom mixed at a local home center which has mixing guides to mix official colors of all major universities! The right size decals was the hardest to find. I ended up using a window cling-on Illinois Chief decal which measured about 10.5” x 10.5” in the lower center. Because the decal has no adhesive backing so I used spray-on adhesive on the back. Two coats of clear marine varnish were sprayed on to seal the decals and top surface against scratches and moisture. I tested on some decal material to make sure the varnish wasn’t going to melt the decal.

Many internet sites sell a pair of boards for around $150 with color scheme but will not apply any official decals for you because of licensing restrictions. If one were to buy the boards and decals plus shipping, a pair of boards will cost a little over $200! This project cost me about $90 to make, including plywood, paints, and decals. Interestingly the decals was almost 25% of the total cost! There is a pretty good profit margin in decals.

Now that I am done with the easy part of the project, my wife will do the hard part of making the 8 cornhole bags:)

Thanks for looking!

-- Simon, Danville, IL