How far apart are cornhole boards?
Regulation cornhole boards are placed 27 feet apart, measured from the front edge of one board to the front edge of the other. Both governing bodies publish the same figure: the American Cornhole League specifies 27 feet with a half-inch tolerance, and the American Cornhole Organization states boards "are placed 27 feet from front edge to front edge". 21 feet is the near-universal shortened distance for children and small gardens, though neither rule book actually publishes it.
The measurement, and where it is taken from
The 27 feet is measured between the FRONT edges — the low ends of the two boards, which face each other. It is not measured hole to hole, not between the back edges, and not from where the players stand.
| Measurement | Distance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Front edge to front edge | 27 ft (8.23 m) | ACL and ACO |
| Hole centre to hole centre | 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m) | Derived from board geometry |
| Back edge to back edge | 35 ft (10.67 m) | Derived from board geometry |
| Total court length | 40 ft (12.19 m) | ACO published court |
| Court width | 8 ft (2.44 m) | ACO published court |
| Common shortened distance | 21 ft (6.40 m) | Not published by either body |
The hole-to-hole figure surprises people, so it is worth showing the arithmetic. A regulation board is 48 inches long and its hole is centred 9 inches from the back edge, which puts the hole 39 inches — 3 feet 3 inches — from the front edge. Two boards facing each other therefore add 6 feet 6 inches to the 27-foot pitching distance, and the holes end up 33 feet 6 inches apart.
This matters in practice because a tape measure laid between the two holes is the easiest way to set up a court alone, and 33 feet 6 inches is the number to aim for if that is how you are measuring.
How to set the distance correctly
Measuring from the wrong reference point is the most common setup error, and it always makes the pitch too long — usually by the 8 feet the two boards themselves occupy.
Place the first board
Set one board down with its low end — the front edge — facing the direction you will be pitching. The high end, with the hole near it, points away from the other board.
Measure from the front edge, not the back
Hook the tape on the front edge of the first board, at ground level. This is the edge that is only about 3 inches high. Measuring from the raised back edge adds 4 feet and is the usual cause of a court that plays too long.
Run out 27 feet
Pull the tape straight out to 27 feet for adult and regulation play, or 21 feet if you are shortening it for children or a small garden. Keep the tape square to the board rather than running it diagonally.
Set the second board facing back
Place the second board so that its front edge sits exactly on the 27-foot mark, with its low end facing the first board. The two boards mirror each other, so both raised ends point outward.
Check the boards are square and in line
Sight down the court to confirm the two boards are directly opposite each other and parallel. A quick check: measure both diagonals between opposite corners of the two boards — if the court is square, they match.
How much space do you actually need?
The boards themselves take up 35 feet, but you also have to stand somewhere. Allow 40 feet of length and 8 feet of width for a court that plays properly — that is the ACO’s own published court size.
| Pitching distance | Boards alone | Comfortable total length | Width |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 ft (regulation) | 35 ft | 40 ft | 8 ft |
| 21 ft (junior or tight space) | 29 ft | 34 ft | 8 ft |
| 15 ft (young children, house rule) | 23 ft | 28 ft | 8 ft |
- Length is the constraint that actually bites. Very few gardens are short of 8 feet of width, and plenty are short of 40 feet of run.
- You can play with less room behind the boards than the ACO allows — plenty of people pitch with a fence right behind them — but the boards themselves cannot be compressed. 35 feet at regulation distance is a hard floor.
- Overhead clearance matters more than people expect: the ACO specifies a minimum of 12 feet. A bag thrown properly arcs high, so low branches and porch roofs are a real problem.
- On grass, check the ground is level along the length of the court rather than across it. A board sitting nose-down plays completely differently from one sitting nose-up.
If you are not sure your space is long enough, the calculator on the home page will take the length you have and tell you the longest pitching distance that fits it, including room to stand.
Shorter distances for children and small gardens
Twenty-seven feet is the only pitching distance either governing body publishes. Every shorter distance — including the 21 feet you will see described elsewhere as "the junior distance" — is recreational practice rather than a published rule.
| Distance | Who it suits | Published by a governing body? |
|---|---|---|
| 27 ft | All adult and tournament play; the default for a backyard set | Yes — ACL and ACO |
| 21 ft | Children, mixed-ability groups, and gardens too short for 27 ft | No |
| 15 ft | Roughly ages 4–7, where even 21 ft stops the game being fun | No |
| Mixed distances | Adults at 27 ft pitching at children at a shorter mark | No |
It is worth being precise about this, because a great many pages state that 21 feet is the official junior distance and attribute it to the American Cornhole League. Both rule sheets were read end to end for this page on 4 August 2026, and neither contains a junior division, an age bracket, or any pitching distance other than 27 feet. The ACL document says only that "two boards should be located 27 feet (±1/2 inch) apart, from the front of one board to the front of another".
None of that makes 21 feet a bad choice. It is the distance recreation leagues, parks departments and families overwhelmingly use when 27 feet is too far, and it is what this site recommends when you are shortening the game. It simply is not something a governing body has published, and saying otherwise would be inventing authority.
A mixed-distance game is worth knowing about because it solves the real problem at a family barbecue. Adults pitch from the regulation mark and younger children pitch from a closer one, so everyone plays the same game on the same boards without anyone being hopelessly outmatched. It is not legal in any competition, and it works extremely well in a garden.
Common questions about cornhole distance
How far apart are cornhole boards supposed to be?
- Twenty-seven feet, measured from the front edge of one board to the front edge of the other. Both the American Cornhole League and the American Cornhole Organization publish this figure, and the ACL adds a tolerance of half an inch. It is the only pitching distance either body publishes; 21 feet is the usual shortened distance for children and small gardens, but it is recreational practice rather than a rule.
Is cornhole distance measured from the front or the back of the board?
- From the front — the low edge that faces the other board and sits about 3 inches off the ground. Measuring from the raised back edge instead adds the full 4-foot length of both boards and produces a court 8 feet too long.
How far apart are the cornhole holes?
- Thirty-three feet six inches, centre to centre, at the regulation 27-foot pitching distance. The hole is centred 9 inches from the back edge of a 48-inch board, which puts it 3 feet 3 inches from the front edge, so each board adds that much to the distance between the holes.
How much space do you need for cornhole?
- About 40 feet long by 8 feet wide for a court that plays properly, which is the court size the ACO publishes. The two boards alone occupy 35 feet at regulation distance; the extra 5 feet is standing room behind each board. You also want at least 12 feet of overhead clearance.
What is the cornhole distance for kids?
- Twenty-one feet is what almost everyone uses, and around 15 feet suits ages roughly 4 to 7. Neither is official: 27 feet is the only distance the ACL or ACO publishes, and despite what many pages claim, neither rule book contains a junior division or an age bracket at all.
Can I play cornhole closer than 27 feet?
- Yes, and plenty of people do. Twenty-one feet is the usual choice for a short garden, and it is what most recreation leagues drop to, though it is not a distance either governing body publishes. The only thing that changes is that the game is easier, so scores climb faster.
Sources
American Cornhole League, Rules and Regulations — board placement and tolerances. American Cornhole Organization, ACO Official Rules for the Sport of Cornhole — the 27-foot placement and the published 40 by 8 foot court. Both were read directly on 4 August 2026. Derived figures on this page (hole to hole, board footprint) are computed from the regulation board geometry and the arithmetic is shown above so it can be checked.