We’ve all seen the various styles of Cornhole Boards out there, and if you’re a player that travels, or has traveled in the past, you know that every board is slightly different in one way or another. Whether they are slick, sticky, bouncy, or just not well built. So what makes the one board better than another? What makes a specific board so special?
A few days ago, I went off into tons of research to find the answer to just that. I posted a status on Facebook and into one of my private Cornhole designer groups to ask these 3 simple questions:
- What do you say makes a set of boards “the best”?
- What makes your boards better than everyone else's?
- What makes boards stand out?
The amount of feedback I received was astonishing! I got comments as simple as "not too slick not too sticky" to comments as detailed as breaking it down to every component of how a board should be built. Some people say that it's the material you build with, some people like the accessories built on to the boards, some like custom prints, some like plain, and on and on. The true answer to the questions above is based around the fact that there is a "perfect board" when in reality there is not. All boards are different, and all boards are subject to criticism. With that being said, there are however things that are "requirements" for boards to be at the top-notch standard of any professional players in the game.
Here are a few things that you will see commonly on most top-rated boards:
Routered Hole/Edges: Nearly all boards that are played on at the intermediate and above leveled players will have routered holes and edges. This will add a more "finished" looked to the boards, as well as prevent bags from getting snagged by little pieces of wood as they pass through the hole or travel around the board. This also prevents bags from clogging around the hole as easily.
Brace Under the Board: Most players would agree that they don't prefer their bags to bounce every time they throw a bag. When we pitch bags we are looking for the boards to complement the bags we throw and react accordingly upon how the bag left our hand or how the material of your bag reacts to the board. Putting the brace under the board can make a world of difference when it comes to not having a bouncy board.
Sunk-In Framing: A very popular trend is when the plywood on the top has a slight overhang from the actual framing of the board. This can actually help provide stability to the plywood on top and prevent the boards from bouncing as much as well. This design tends to show a sense of professionalism to boards too. This is also usually a 3"x piece of wood due to the fact that you don't want your boards to be over the regulated height and will prevent your boards from being so bulky.
Leg Brace: It's quite common to see a set of boards have a brace across the legs of the board. This is made there for a few reasons:
- To provide a "catcher" for bags thrown as airmails and shooting across the floor. This can lead to disagreements as to whether the bag actually went in or not. (Sometimes it's hard to tell)
- Additional advertisement opportunity. If you think about it, when a set of boards is being live-streamed, you can't necessarily read everything on the boards. So this plack provides a space for a sponsors/manufacturer's name to appear there.
- It makes handling a little easier when going to pick up boards as well as provides a sense of stability to the legs on the boards. They always move in conjunction which can help eliminate wear and tear on the legs/bolts etc.
These aren't requirements when making boards but they are however common in the "competitive" environment of the cornhole world.
I personally love direct printed boards, and my favorite ones as of now are from Colorado Cornhole Connection (pictured below). They are absolutely beautiful. I also love it when features and attachments are added to boards.
Some recommendations were given when I asked the questions above to Facebook and I'll leave those below with a few recommendations of my own (Click the name to be directed to page):