Cornhole Bags - What's inside?
The History
As the name states cornhole was started with bags filled with corn. For many years this proved to be the "standard" fill of all cornhole bags. This proved to be an acceptable substance until the bags got wet. Being cornhole is typically an outdoor sport the chance that the bags could get wet was real. Rain and leaving the bags out overnight would allow moisture to get into the corn and cause it to mold. This could be problematic. Corn also would break down over time. The corn inside would suffer crushing pressure hitting the board from 25 to 30 feet away. The resulting corn would grind against each other and create the white corn dust that would get everywhere. The corn would get smaller and lighter and the bags would wear out.
The Case for Resin
Around 2006 American Cornhole, the governing body for the sport, was commissioned by Carnival Cruise Lines. Obviously, the threat of the bags getting wet was even more real on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. Carnival also wanted a bag that would last longer and not produce the dust from a typical corn filled bag.
The Result
After some research American Cornhole settled on a special resin compound that gave the bag a more consistent weight and feel. This resin also gave the bags a longer life and resistant to mold from getting wet. Testing with ACO-PRO cornhole players found they preferred the resin bags to the traditional corn filled bags. Then new resin bags became the official bag of the American Cornhole Association and the standard for cornhole bags in professional tournament play. Over the years resin filled bags have replaced the corn filled bags in every aspect of the game. Even your less expensive backyard sets come with the resin bags over corn.