Bean Bags? Cornhole? Bags? However you refer to it, the sport has a long and fascinating history.

Bean bags have become a staple at backyard barbecues and tournament-style play at local establishments.

While in recent years it has become more popular, bags has a long history that stretches back to fourteenth-century Germany. Many credit Matthias Kuepermann as having invented the game after watching children toss rocks into a nearby groundhog’s hole.

Kuepermann, who was a cabinet maker, was concerned for the children’s safety and created a game using old cabinet pieces. Corn was used to fill the bags that were thrown, giving the game the name cornhole.

Now more commonly known as bean bags or bags, the game gained popularity across the Midwest during the last few decades. The game is also known as dummy boards, bean bag toss, doghouse, or baggo.

The game is a favorite in the summertime. Players take turns pitching bags at a platform until someone reaches a score of 21. A bag in the hole scores three points while one on the platform scores one point. Players throw bags from 27 feet away and each player throws four bags per turn.

Bags should be six-by-six inches and weigh between 15 and 16 ounces, according to the American Cornhold Association. The platforms should be two-by-four feet with a hole that measures only six inches in diameter.

The game can be played with two players or in partners with two players per team.

Bean bag tournaments have become a popular activity across the country, from backyards to bars to more organized events.

The longest marathon playing bags took 26 hours, 12 minutes, and 44 seconds. The game was played by Team Fry and Team Gable during FRY fest in Coralville, Iowa on Aug. 28-29, 2014.

Be sure to join in the fun at Blue Line South! Our Summer bean bag league starts June 3. Learn more by clicking here.