Cornhole ATL promises to bring a fun time to Savannah's Eastern Wharf

John Caesar
·4 min read

Local cornhole fans can get excited for the upcoming Cornhole League at Eastern Wharf brought to you by Cornhole ATL.

For those uneducated on the game of cornhole, it is a 21-point game where players of opposing sides take turns throwing bean bags at propped-up boards. The closer you get to the hole at the center of the board (or just hit the hole itself), the more points you get.

Cornhole ATL is designed to give adult cornhole players a place to play. For Jeff Brawand, the organization owner, cornhole has been a big part of his life since he was young. This is what would wind up leading to him starting Cornhole ATL in the first place. "I'm originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, where supposedly cornhole was founded," said Brawand.

"So growing up, I always played cornhole with my family back in like the '80s. So when I moved down to Georgia and started playing with some friends, I thought, 'Hey, if there can be a kickball league, why not a cornhole league?'"

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Cornhole ATL started back in 2011 and consisted of 4,500 players statewide that participate each season. This year, they're starting a league in Savannah at Eastern Wharf.
Cornhole ATL started back in 2011 and consisted of 4,500 players statewide that participate each season. This year, they're starting a league in Savannah at Eastern Wharf.

As far as organized cornhole leagues, Cornhole ATL has been a massive contributor to its popularity across the state. And this can widely be attributed to the fact that Cornhole ATL focuses on the social aspects of the game over the competitive ones. "I'm sure you've seen some cornhole stuff on ESPN," said Brawand.

"It's the competitive type, and those are the types of players that are in the smaller leagues in Georgia. But our goal is to not be that competitive, ultra-competitive, I should say. We want to be that social league where it's a lot more approachable."

Cornhole ATL started back in 2011 and consisted of 4,500 players statewide that participate each season. Leagues last seven weeks total, the first six weeks being the regular season and the seventh week being the playoffs.

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"We got 51 leagues throughout the state of Georgia," said Brawand. "What's unique about us is, like a soccer league, we have different divisions you can sign up for. So, for instance, in Savannah, you can sign up for our beginner, intermediate, or advance division, and you only play people in that division."

Cornhole ATL started back in 2011 and consisted of 4,500 players statewide that participate each season. This year, they're starting a league in Savannah at Eastern Wharf.
Cornhole ATL started back in 2011 and consisted of 4,500 players statewide that participate each season. This year, they're starting a league in Savannah at Eastern Wharf.

Cornhole ATL holds many tournaments throughout Georgia in places like Athens, Greensboro, Alpharetta, Canton Woodstock and other cities. But this will be the first time the organization will be holding a league in Savannah. "We just picked Savannah because we know that it's a fun, social city," said Brawand.

"We're super, super excited about this. I think it's going to be an awesome time. We've already got a lot of teams signed up for it. The team over there at Eastern Wharf has been super awesome to work with. All our equipment is already in place, it's been nothing but good things so far, and I'm sure there'll be more good things to come."

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Because the space is so large for the Savannah tournament this time, the sky is the limit for how many players can join. "It's pretty wide open," said Brawand. "For the green space we're going to be playing on at the park, it's very wide open. So we can have up to, I would say, 88 teams, no problem. There's not really a cap on it right now."

While competition will be fierce, at the end of the day, Cornhole ATL wishes to make their league a fun time for everyone involved. "It's an approachable league," said Brawand. "Go into it with a goal of being social and learning the game, especially if you're a beginner, and be open to making new friends. So while it might be competitive, keep in mind that this is a social league, and the goal is to be happy out there and have fun."

Thompson Hotel Savannah and the Eastern Wharf.
Thompson Hotel Savannah and the Eastern Wharf.

Registration ends March 13. If you're interested in signing up for a fun time with friends or even want to tackle the cornhole world on your own, you can register on the Cornhole ATL website. The entry fee is $55 for an individual and $55 per player. A full schedule will be sent out to participants once registration closes.

"One week, you might play at 6:30 p.m.," said Brawand. "The next week, you might play at 7:50, but you get all your matches within that 40-minute time block, and it's great because it gives you an opportunity to, you know, go grab food and drinks before or after your games and kind of make a night of it."

Cornhole ATL also openly invites all sponsors wishing to get advertisements during the tournament to send their information to info@cornholeatl.com.

The Savannah Cornhole League will begin on March 21 at Eastern Wharf, 101 Port St, Savannah, GA 31401.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Cornhole ATL announces Savannah GA league at Eastern Wharf