All My Rowdy Friends Play Cornhole

It may be debatable how much of a sport cornhole is, but you can play with a beer in one hand – how bad can that be?

Hanging out with friends and co-workers after a long day can involve more than eating and drinking. With the CornholeATL Cornhole League hosting games four times a year at Peachtree Corners Town Center, you can add tossing bean bags at a small hole to the mix.

The state’s largest and fastest-growing cornhole league is back for another season of fun. CornholeATL’s Fall League starts in August and, as always, there are four different divisions of play to accommodate all skill levels.

Make friends and have fun

Jeff Brawand, Owner of CornholeATL, moved to metro Atlanta from Cincinnati, Ohio in 2007 to work for Delta Airlines. “Growing up in Ohio, cornhole is everywhere,” he said. “When I moved to Atlanta, I was looking for a way to meet people.”

He tried kickball games and soccer and things like that, but as he got older, he was looking for an outlet where he wouldn’t get hurt or seriously injured. “I got to the point where I said to myself, ‘I don’t need to be sliding anymore. I’m just trying to meet new people and meet new friends.’ And so, I started the cornhole league, CornholeATL, in 2011,” he said.

The league started in Virginia Highlands in a public park. A few years later, Brawand said he “pivoted to playing at bars, mixed use developments and open green spaces.”

He likes the fact that players are surrounded by different sorts of restaurants at Town Center and there’s plenty of space to spread out and have fun. “It’s a lot easier than having to play in a public park where people are bringing out coolers,” Brawand said. “It’s easier to play at a venue where people could just buy drinks, buy food and kind of spend their money on site.”

One of the first mixed-use developments where CornholeATL set was Avalon in Alpharetta. “They love it because we’re bringing people on a night where it might not be as busy,” noted Brawand. “But now people are coming out playing cornhole. They’re grabbing dinner with their friends beforehand; they’re grabbing drinks during and after the games. So it kind of just built up the area a little bit more.”

The league came to Peachtree Corners about three years ago, when teams started forming outside the Perimeter. “It’s been really successful outside the city,” Brawand said. “There’s a lot of stuff to do already [in Atlanta] and so it does great here because people might not have as much to do. And when they get home, they probably don’t want to have to go downtown. They want to be able to stay in their area.”

When North American Properties General Manager Tim Perry presented his company’s vison for The Forum, events like the cornhole league were what he said the property will endorse. Brawand stressed that working with the Town Center staff has been a great experience and the seasons have been quite successful.

How it works

Each season of CornholeATL lasts seven weeks and there are four cornhole seasons a year. “We do it spring, summer, fall and winter,” Brawand said. “The first six weeks are the regular season, and the last week – week seven — is the playoffs for that location.”

Each league has four divisions: beginner, intermediate, intermediate-plus and advanced. That way people with similar skill levels compete against each other. It would be kind of like having Charles Barkley or Michael Jordan playing pick-up basketball.

“You basically can go to our website and kind of see the skill level you would be best suited,” Brawand said. “If you’re barely hitting a board, then you’re probably a beginner. But if you’re getting all four in the hole or on the board, then you’re probably advanced.”

At the end of the day, the goal is to have fun, said Brawand. “That’s our focus. And that’s why we call it a cornhole league as opposed to a tournament. The word tournament kind of has a negative vibe that might be a little bit more competitive.

“So it’s a league; it’s a social league. The beginners will only play beginners all season long, even when it comes to the playoffs. Beginners only play the beginners in their division in the playoffs so you’re never playing up or down, which makes it a little bit more approachable.”

Jackie Adams, Senior Director of Operations of New Franchise Development at Floor Coverings International has been on a CornholeATL team at Peachtree Corners Town Center since the league came there. “It’s super chill and a good way to relax and unwind with friends after work,” she said.

In an era when not as many companies sponsor bowling or softball, the relatively small cost to pay for employees to form a cornhole team is quite attractive. “The company reimburses us for our registration, and we have t-shirts made every season,” said Adams. “And since the teams are so small, we always have enough people to play.”

Within the six weeks of regular play, a team needs at least two people to be present to play or the game will be forfeited, Brawand explained. After two forfeitures, the team is out of the league. “We don’t want to waste people’s time,” he said. “It’s a commitment, but a small one.”

Championship play

After a winner is declared for each division within a league, the winning teams move on to the state championship to play the winners of the other leagues. Right now, there are 45 leagues in the state from as far east as Athens, as far west as Carterville, as far south as Fayetteville and as far north as the outlets near Cumming.

The farthest leagues could be a couple of hours’ drive from Atlanta, so the championship games are rotated around the area, although they’re usually held in the city.

“We just did the spring tournament in Woodstock, and the summer one will be in Acworth,” said Brawand. Last year one of the championships was held in Peachtree Corners.

“It’s a blast. Everyone comes out from around the whole state,” he continued. “There are usually around 350 people playing and they all bring some spectators because it’s a big event with big prizes and big trophies.”

Some of the coveted prizes have been tailgating chairs that say “Champions” on the back, which can be pretty cool when you’re hanging out at a Bulldogs or Falcons game.

“We pride ourselves on being a social league and having those divisions,” said Brawand. “It’s more of a social thing than a sport. You come out and have a good time. And you can toss the bean bag with one hand while you have your choice of beverage in the other.”

Sign up now to play cornhole this fall

Registration for the CornholeATL Fall League is open until August 22. Sign up at cornholeatl.leaguelab.com/league/52593/detail. For more info, email info@cornholeatl.com.