Adult Cornhole Rules

Apex Park and Recreation District’s Cornhole Leagues are governed by American Cornhole Association (ACA) rules with the following exceptions and modifications.

The following leagues will be offered:

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Payments:

• The entire league fee is due by the first game. Teams may be required to forfeit games if the entire league fee is not paid by the first game.
• Teams are required to pay league fees and fines by credit/debit card.

Team Rosters:

• A roster may contain up to 6 players. All players must be 18+ years old to be eligible to participate.
• A complete roster is required for all teams. All team managers must submit their team roster via TeamSideline.com/Apex before the first game. Players are considered ineligible until the roster invite (via email) has been accepted and signed.
• Players may not appear on two rosters.
• All players must play a minimum of two league games to be eligible for postseason play.
• Teams who use substitutes must have those players added to their roster prior to playing. These players may not be on another roster. If the player is on multiple rosters, that player is ineligible.
• At any time, Apex staff reserves the right to remove players from gameplay if they are ineligible.

Forfeit Procedure:

• A team must have at least 2 players to begin.
• If both teams have fewer than 2 players, a double forfeit will be declared.
• The score of a forfeited game will be 21-0. In the event a double forfeit occurs, each team will be credited with a loss, with the score being recorded as 0-0.
• Teams will be given a 5-minute grace period if they do not have the minimum number of players to begin. The 5 minutes will be counted as game time. If a team still does not have enough players after the 5-minute grace period has expired, they will be forced to forfeit.
• If a team needs to forfeit, managers must contact the recreation coordinator by 4 pm on the scheduled game day. If notified properly, there may be no forfeit fee charged to the team.
  • A forfeit will result in a $25 fine issued to the team. All fines must be paid before the team is able to play their next match.
  • A no-call/no-show will result in a $50 fine issued to the team. All fines must be paid before the team is able to play their next match.
  • If a team has two no-calls/no-shows in the same season, the team may be removed from the league, and zero refunds will be provided.

Uniforms/Equipment:

• Apex will provide boards and cornhole bags.
• Players and teams are not permitted to bring their own boards and cornhole bags.

Court Layout:

• The entire court length shall be 40-45 feet.
• This league will not have official pitcher’s boxes. However, players must be to the side of the board when pitching a cornhole bag.
• This league will have taped lines in front of each board to simulate foul lines. These foul lines will be approximately 27 feet apart. Players can never step on or over this line when pitching a cornhole bag. If this occurs, this will be deemed as a foul bag, and it won’t count toward scoring.

Gameplay:

• Teams will play 2 opponents (matches) per night.
• Each match will consist of 3 games.
• Teams will be given 45 minutes to practice and complete their matches.
• If a game is not completed when time expires, it will end with the current score. If the score is tied, the inning shall be completed. If the game is still tied after the inning is completed, the game will end in a tie. Ties are permitted in the regular season.
• If any games have not yet started when the 45 minutes expires, those games will be recorded as a 0-0 tie.
• All games will be played using cancellation scoring. The first team to reach (or exceed) 21 points at the conclusion of an inning is the winner.
  • Example: At the end of an inning, if Team A got 3 bags on the board and Team B got 2 bags on the board, the score would be 1-0 with Team A in the lead.
• Each team will stay in their designated lane for the whole game.
  • Players should line up directly across from their playing teammate in the same lane.
  • Teams with more than two players may make substitutions only at the beginning of a new game. Players must complete the entire game before a substitution can be made, unless otherwise approved by Apex PRD staff.
• At the end of each game, teams must mutually agree on one of the following:
  • Players switch sides on the same board.
  • Players switch boards (so they are tossing at the other board).
• Players at the headboard will alternate pitching bags until each player has pitched all four of their bags.
• Players at the footboard will take the score and resume pitching back to the other board.
• The top of an inning is completed when both players pitch from the headboard and pitch all four bags. The bottom of the inning is completed when the remaining players pitch from the footboard and pitch all four bags.
• At the end of each game, teams need to write down scores using the Apex-provided scorecard.
• At the end of each match, the Apex-provided scorecard needs to be turned into an Apex staff member so scores can be entered into TeamSideline.
• If games or matches end early, teams are welcome to practice or play another game. However, these won’t count towards the standings.

Playoffs:

• Playoff matches will be played best 2 out of 3 games.
• Teams will be given 45 minutes to practice and complete their matches.
• Playoffs will be played using cancellation scoring.
• If a game is not completed when time expires, the game will end with the current score.
• If time expires and the game is tied, the inning shall be completed if needed. If the game is still tied after the completed inning, another inning will be played. This will continue until there is a winner. For all playoff games, teams do not need to win by 2 points.

Pitching Rotation/Player Positioning:

• The team who scored the most points in the preceding inning will pitch first in the next inning. If neither team scores, the team that pitched first in the preceding frame shall retain the first pitch in the next frame.
  • For the first game of a match, the team that is higher in the standings (or the team that has the better seed for playoffs) will pitch first.
• The pitcher must be within the pitcher’s box or behind the foul line at the time of release.
• A player must pitch all four bags from their designated pitcher’s box.
• Players must pitch the bag with an underhand release.

Scoring:

• 0 points: Any bag that first touches the ground, ceiling, or wall and then comes to rest anywhere on top of the board, goes through the hole, or is knocked through the hole by another bag.
• 0 points: Any bag hanging off the board (and touching the ground).
• 1 point: Any bag that comes to rest anywhere on the board.
• 1 point: Any bag hanging through the hole.
• 3 points: Any bag that is thrown through the hole or knocked through the hole by another bag.

Foul Bags:

• Foul bags are rule violations that must be spotted and called by players. Games are self-officiated, so using the honor system is expected. Any of the following are considered foul bags:
  • Any bag pitched when the player has contacted or crossed the foul line or started or stepped completely outside the pitcher’s box before the bag is released.
  • Any bag that contacted the court or the ground before coming to rest on the board.
  • Any bag that first hits the wall, ceiling, or anything similar.
  • A bag hanging off the edge of the board has value unless it is touching the ground.
  • Bags need to remain on the board until scoring has been agreed upon.

Jewelry:

• All exposed jewelry or other items that are deemed to be hazardous or potentially dangerous by staff may not be worn during the game.
• Players are ineligible to play until the jewelry is removed.
• Apex strongly recommends that no type of jewelry be worn in any league.

Blood Rule:

• Any participant who is bleeding, has an open wound, or has an excessive amount of blood on their uniform must leave the game.
• The participant may not return until either the bleeding has stopped, the wound has been covered and bandaged, and/or the uniform has been changed.

Inclement Weather Policy:

• Check TeamSideline for weather updates. We will make every effort to play games and reschedule only if necessary.
• In the event of a cancellation, team managers will be notified via email/text from TeamSideline.com (individuals must register for text messages to receive them).
• Rainout/Makeup Policy: Apex’s policy is to make up games as courts/fields are available. Makeup games may be required to be played on weekends or weeknights that differ from a team’s regularly scheduled night. If teams are not available for the scheduled makeup, they will be forced to forfeit.

Ejections:

• If a player:
  • Gets ejected for the first time: a $25 fine in addition to a suspension. All fines must be paid before a player can return to play after serving the suspension.
  • Gets ejected for the second time: a $50 fine in addition to a suspension. All fines must be paid before a player can return to play after serving the suspension.
  • Gets ejected for the third time: The player is removed from the league.
• Ejected players must leave the facility immediately. If Apex staff deem an ejected player is intentionally taking too long to leave and delaying the resumption of gameplay, Apex staff have the right to assess a penalty up to including calling the game and awarding the win to the opposing team. This is a judgment call by Apex staff and is not subject to dispute.

Smoking and Alcohol:

• No smoking or vaping of any kind will be permitted.
• No consumption of alcohol will be allowed before, during, or after the game anywhere on the premises. This includes koozies, water bottles, or anything similar.
• Glass bottles of any kind are prohibited.
• Any player, manager, coach, or spectator caught smoking/vaping or consuming alcohol anywhere on the premises by staff will be ejected and must leave the facility.
• If a second player, manager, or coach is caught smoking/vaping or consuming alcohol anywhere on the premises, the violating team will be forced to forfeit.
• No player, manager, or coach shall participate in the game while intoxicated.
• Penalties for violating these policies: Minimum 1 game suspension and $25 fine.

Insurance:

• Apex does not provide insurance coverage for players, coaches, or spectators. You are strongly advised to check your coverage with your personal carrier to ensure you are covered for accidents/injuries, including ambulance transportation.

Awards:

• All teams in each division will advance to an end-of-season single-elimination tournament.
• Awards will be given to tournament winners (maximum 2).
• Tiebreakers in league play between 2 or more teams will be determined by the following:
  • Winning Percentage
  • Head-to-Head
  • Head-to-Head Differential
  • Total Points For
  • Total Points Against
  • Total Points Differential
  • Lowest Number of Forfeits
  • Coin Toss

*Revised 12/2/2024