Corn Hole Mania

Today is Sunday July 17th, 2011. The Squires family is at the beach in Destin FL. In the last 24 hours it has rained a lot. Like 4 inches a lot. Today was very cloudy, with low clouds, and drizzle. It was our first full day at the beach and we were bored. So what does the Squires family do on a rainy day at the beach? We build homemade corn hole tables to keep ourselves entertained!


So why corn hole? The story goes like this. We are staying at the condo of my friend Al and his wife Carol. They were generous enough to let us stay for the week. Their condo is sweet and has a large patio area with plenty of extra space. Corn hole is often called bean bag toss. The name comes from the tossing of small bags filled with corn into a hole in a board. It does not require a tremendous amount of skill and fits with people that drink beer while relaxing at the beach. That game is perfect for us.


Before you think lesser of us please keep in mind that these are no ordinary corn hole tables. They are built to some exacting standards. The standards are those of the American Corn Hole Assoc. If you don’t believe me, and at this point I don’t think you do, do some research at www.playcornhole.org.


After a thorough review of the corn hole table specifications and a search of the available tools, we concluded we could pull this off. Keep in mind that we are on vacation and have access to a limited variety of tools. With the use of Al’s cordless drill and the help from a friendly associate at Home Depot we had the materials needed to start construction.


Construction began around 1:00pm on Sunday afternoon. During the process beers were consumed, power tools were utilized, spray paint was shaken and sprayed, and in the end a finished product was produced. All the while we never left the kitchen of condo. Actually, we utilized the outside areas for painting and the underground parking lot for assembly.


During the process there was a buzz around the complex about what exactly was going on. No one said anything but people wondered. They wanted to know but were afraid to ask. Once the tables were completed everyone was jealous. The weather cleared late in the day and the first bean bag was tossed at around 7:00 pm. People from the floors above looked down from their balconies. Children gathered and watched in quiet amazement. A local news station dispatched a reporter for a firsthand account of the event. A live feed was established and even the term “film at eleven was used”. We knew history was being made. The corn holing went on for hours and slightly before 11:00pm the last bag was tossed. We had a blast.


In hopes that Al and Carol, their family, and the future guests of the condo, will forever use the tables and enjoy a distinct home patio advantage, we painted the tables in the classic Tennessee Volunteer colors of orange and white. See the photo below. In case you were wondering Al and Carol attended the University of Tennessee.





The weather for Monday is expected to be perfect. We know it will be perfect for the beach and later for some evening corn hole. I will participate, watch, and report.