Tips for Planning a Cornhole Tournament

Cornhole tournaments are hugely popular right now. If you are looking for a way to unite community members, support a great charity, or draw awareness to your business, it might be time to host a cornhole tournament.

Any time you gather a large group of people for a structured event, there will be headaches and drama. However, if you plan carefully, you can sidestep a lot of that nonsense. Here is how you do it.

Delegate

First of all, don’t try to tackle something like this on your own. Grab a couple of buddies or family members and give each one a task. Then, act as a manager and oversee everyone’s involvement. If you have enough willing “chairmen,” assign someone to each of the following areas:

• Venue
• Equipment
• Food and Beverage
• Marketing
• Registration

Venue

Choosing the venue should be the first thing on your to-do list. The venue will determine a lot of other factors.

Decide between an indoor event and an outdoor event; each has pros and cons. With an indoor event, you don’t have to worry about rain, wind, or blazing sun. However, outdoor events tend to be more festive and bring a party atmosphere.

When scouting out venues, some suggestions include:

• School or community gymnasiums
• Parking lots
• The beach
• Parks

Once you have selected a venue, you can determine how many cornhole courts will fit. Each regulation court needs a level area at least 10 feet wide by 45 feet long, with the boards set 27 feet apart, front edge to front edge. Remember, you’ll also need to save space for registration, the food and beverage tent, and the spectator area.

Start thinking about how you will denote the designated space for each court. You’ll need a way to keep spectators away from the action. You’ll also want a way to mark the foul line (perhaps painter’s tape inside, spray paint outside).

Equipment

Will you have participants bring their own cornhole boards and bags? If so, you’ll need someone on hand to verify that each cornhole board and bag was constructed according to official standards. Regulation boards are 24 by 48 inches, stand 12 inches high at the back, and have a 6-inch hole centered 9 inches from the top. Regulation bags are 6 by 6 inches and weigh about 16 ounces.

If you will be providing the necessary equipment, you might want to think about rentals. This will help keep the costs down. If you are in the Tampa Bay area, Custom Corntoss has cornhole sets available for rent, with pickup at our Palm Harbor location.

Whether you purchase or rent, make sure the equipment is good quality and as uniform as possible. Also, have a few extra bags on hand in case some mysteriously go missing or bust after an energetic toss!

Food and Beverages

What is a cornhole tournament without booze and grub?! When it comes to the essentials, you basically have two options. You can provide the food and beverages yourself, or you can hire a local vendor. If you choose to sell alcohol, make sure the venue you chose has the necessary liquor license.

The person in charge of food and beverages should also round up all the extras, like plates, napkins, chairs, and tables.

Marketing

Marketing will be vital to your cornhole tournament’s success. Fortunately, the concept is quite popular, so you probably won’t have trouble finding people to join you.

Start with the most obvious tactic: social media. Social media can help spread the word about any event.

Then, look to traditional methods of marketing. Local newspapers and radio stations will usually advertise community happenings for a reasonable rate (sometimes even free).

Flyers might be old school, but they work. Try posting them where your target audience hangs out.

Registration

You can either have a pre-event registration (usually done online) or let participants register the day of the event.

If you do pre-registration, set up a simple online sign-up page that collects names and entry fees, then share the link everywhere you promote the event.

If you have the registration the day of the event, you might want to have some extra security on hand. If you have a lot of interest in the event, you might have some angry wannabe participants who don’t make the cutoff!

Once you know how many teams are playing, you can build your bracket. Our guide to cornhole tournament brackets covers single and double elimination, bracket sizes, and byes.

Ready to Host Your Tournament?

If your tournament is raising money for a cause, our guide to hosting a cornhole tournament fundraiser has ideas for entry fees, concessions, raffles, and sponsors.

Cornhole tournaments are a lot of fun and can really help increase awareness for a cause or business. If you need regulation cornhole boards or official cornhole bags for your event, design your own set in our online builder or contact us with any questions.