Bar Tossers

The popular tailgate and lawn game Cornhole has become Northern Virginia’s newest bar sport

By Chase Johnson

February 5, 2010

It used to be that bar games required nothing more than a deck of cards or a stack of quarters and a shot glass.

No more.

With bars trying harder than ever to distinguish themselves as nighttime hangouts, boasting how many flat-screen TVs they have and the great deals they offer, bar managers are looking for anything that will bring in and retain new customers.

“With all the competition it just looks like you need a little niche,” Clarendon Grill general manager Danny Garcia says. “Before you had a big piece of pie. Now the pie is being eaten up a little bit by tons of different places, whether it’s bars, restaurants and so on. You have so many choices, so you’ve got to do something to make them want to come to where you’re at.”

One of the newest trends in bar entertainment is Cornhole, a uniquely named lawn game that has gained popularity at tailgating events and among the college crowd for the last few years, and is now staking claim at local bars. It’s one of many so-called “bar sports” that have become popular of late. Some leagues play intramural sports, like kickball or flag football, before going to a sponsor bar. Others, like the new District Cornhole league, take place at the bar itself.

“It seems like this day and age they’re turning everything into a sport,” Garcia muses. “It’s just a fun way to get a group of people together.”

The premise of Cornhole is simple—a necessity for any game in which alcohol consumption is encouraged. Players toss bags filled with dried corn (or other pellet-like materials) at game boards, attempting to send the bags through the hole at the top of the board. Three points are awarded for a bag that falls through the hole, while one point is given for a bag that remains on the game board. In most cases, the team that reaches 21 points first is the winner.

The game’s transition from the tailgate to the bar scene is due in part to bar sport leagues like District Cornhole, which establish teams and pit them against each other for the sake of friendly competition.

Currently, District Cornhole is active in Northern Virginia only at Clarendon Grill in Arlington, although the Washington, D.C., crowd can get involved at Union Pub on Capitol Hill or Tom Tom in Adams Morgan, while Marylanders can visit Saphire Cafe in Bethesda.

Special deals often accompany league events, and Garcia says that while he is still working on finalizing any deals, he notes that the bar will offer domestic brews for $1.75.

Along with leagues come regulations, and Cornhole is no different. The measurements of the game, which can be found at DistrictCornhole.org along with a complete list of detailed rules, are at times specific to an eighth of an inch.

The two game boards, generally constructed from plywood, are positioned between 20 to 27 feet apart depending on skill level. The boards are roughly 2-by-4 feet, with a hole measuring 6 inches in diameter centered roughly 9 inches from the top of the board, which is raised 12 inches off the ground.

The bright spot is that the league provides the game board and equipment, saving players from the minutia of the regulations. Those interested in playing need only register online and show up. Play is scheduled every Wednesday at Clarendon Grill starting Feb. 10, and dates vary for the other locations. Games begin at roughly 7:30, 8:15 and 9 p.m.

For the Cornholers who rise to the top of the standings, a championship tournament will be held March 27.