Official Rules

UCL Official Rules · Last updated: November 8, 2026

These rules apply at every UCL sanctioned event. Directors and officials apply them on site, and their decisions are final for that event. Game play follows the same standards as other major cornhole leagues, so players moving between leagues play the same game. Membership, points and Pro qualification are covered in the UCL Players & League Guide; conduct is covered in the Code of Conduct.

1. Courts and boards

• Boards: 2 ft by 4 ft playing surface with a 6 in hole centered 9 in from the top. The back edge stands 12 in above the ground and the front edge 3 to 4 in.
• Distance: 27 ft (within half an inch) from the front edge of one board to the front edge of the other.
• Pitcher's box: the 3 ft wide by 4 ft long area on each side of a board. The front edge of the board is the foul line. A lane is the two boxes directly across from each other.
• Ceiling: indoor or covered courts need at least 12 ft of clearance.
• Approved boards: any board meeting this spec may be used at Local events. UCL-approved boards are required at Conference events and above.

2. Bags

• Size and weight: 6 in by 6 in (5.75 to 6.25 in), 15.5 to 16.5 oz, 1.10 to 1.50 in thick, with a diagonal of at least 7.5 in, no fill leakage and no loose thread longer than 1/8 in.
• Stamps: through August 31, 2027, any regulation bag with an ACL, ACO or TCL stamp is legal. From September 1, 2027, only UCL-stamped bags on the Approved Bag List are legal at conference-run events.
• Matching set: each player throws four bags from the same manufacturer and series. Marked Light, Regular and Heavy versions of the same series may be mixed.
• Colors: opponents must use bag colors that can be told apart. Officials decide if they can't.
• Allowed: normal play, break-in, washing with ordinary detergent and drying. Not allowed: adding or removing fill, opening or resewing seams, gluing, coating, ironing or sanding, applying anything that transfers to the board, or altering the UCL stamp.

3. Starting a game

• A coin toss (or a bag spin) starts every game. In singles, the winner picks the lane. In doubles, the winner either picks the lane and where each player stands for the game, or picks which players face each other; the other team gets the choice the winner didn't take.
• The toss winner also decides who throws the first bag.
• Doubles partners stand at opposite boards, directly across from each other in the same lane.
• One practice throw down and back is customary unless all players agree to skip it.

4. Rounds and throwing

• A round is 8 bags thrown at one board, 4 by each side, alternating. The round is scored once all 8 bags are thrown.
• Bags may be thrown underhand or overhand. A player may deliberately miss the board.
• At release, at least part of one foot must be on the ground inside the pitcher's box, with nothing on or past the foul line. A player may not step past the foul line until the bag lands, may not step on the board, and only a hand or arm may reach past the middle of the board toward the opponent's box. Players with a lower-body disability are not penalized for a natural follow-through after a legal release.
• Wait until the opponent's bag stops before throwing. A bag thrown early is removed, and any opposing bags it moves score as if in the hole.
• The side that scored in the last round throws first in the next. After a round with no score, the same side keeps the first throw.
• In singles, players walk to the other board after each round. In doubles, the partners at the other board throw the next round.

5. Scoring

• A bag in the hole at the end of the round scores 3 points. A bag on the board, including one hanging over the hole, scores 1 point.
• Scoring cancels: subtract the lower round score from the higher, and only the difference is added to the leader's game score.
• The first side to reach 21 or more at the end of a round wins. There is no win-by-two rule and no penalty for going over 21.
• To stay on schedule, an event may set a round cap (for example, a game ends after 21 rounds), published in the event details. If a game is tied at the cap, extra rounds are played until one side leads.

6. Fouls and removed bags

• Foot foul: a foot on or past the foul line, or no foot inside the box, at release. The bag is forfeited, along with any later bag thrown the same way. Points it gained for the thrower are taken off, and points it cost the opponent are given back.
• Out of turn: a bag thrown out of order is removed, and the opponent throws two bags in a row to restore the order.
• Ground bags: a bag that touches the ground before reaching the board or hole scores nothing and is removed.
• Hanging and pinned bags: a bag hanging off the board while touching the ground, a board leg or a support is dead and is removed. A bag resting on top of a removed bag scores 1 point if it stays on the board and nothing if it falls.
• Touching bags: don't pick up or move bags until 3 seconds after they stop, and don't walk to the far board before the last bag of the round lands. Touching or moving bags early ends the round at once: the side that broke the rule scores only its bags in the hole, and the other side scores 3 points for each of its bags on the board, in the hole or not yet thrown. Cancellation then applies.

7. Shot clock and timeouts

• Each throw has a 15-second clock, starting when the opponent's bag stops.
• The first throw of a round has 60 seconds in singles and 45 seconds in doubles, starting when the last bag of the previous round stops.
• Each side has four 60-second timeouts per game, no more than two in a row. When the clock runs out, a timeout is charged automatically; with none left, the bag is forfeited.
• No practice throws during a timeout. Asking an official a rules question doesn't use a timeout.
• Local event directors may relax the clock for their events if they publish it in the event details.

8. Disputes and officials

• Players agree the round score before removing bags. If they disagree, leave the bags in place and call an official or the director.
• Without an official, players keep score, and a scoring mistake must be raised before the end of the next round.
• Officials may warn a player, forfeit a bag, score a round under the touching-bags rule or forfeit a player for misconduct. Repeat misconduct is handled under the Code of Conduct.
• Equipment challenges are made before the match begins. The director checks the bags against the published standards. A player whose set fails switches to a legal set, and the decision is final for that event. UCL may also inspect bags after any match, before prize money is paid, or at random.
• A player who won't finish a game, or a doubles team that can't, forfeits the game; the director advances the opponent.

9. Divisions and classifications

• Players are placed by Scoreholio PPR (points per round) over their last 120 days: UCL Pro (earned), Open (8.5+), Competitive (7.5 to 8.49), Intermediate (6.5 to 7.49) and Novice (below 6.5).
• You may play above your classification when event rules allow, but not below it.
• UCL events don't use handicaps; divisions are set by rating.
• Unrated players are placed by their history in other leagues, recent PPR, placement questions or a seeding round.

10. Event formats

• Local events: any approved format, including single and double elimination, round robin, progressive round robin and blind draw leagues. Each event's details (fee, payouts, format, divisions, times and refund rules) are published before registration.
• Conference events: double elimination for points brackets, at least three skill divisions with a minimum of 6 players or teams each, and seeding by UCL standings or a seeding round. Divisions over 64 may be split into parallel brackets.
• Blind draws: partners are drawn once, in front of the players and witnessed, unless the event listing says otherwise.
• Forfeits are not entered as 21-0. The director advances the winner and notes the forfeit in the event report.

11. Results and eligibility

• Every sanctioned event is run in Scoreholio, and results are submitted within 48 hours. Standings update weekly, every Monday.
• Ranking points require a current UCL membership. Non-members may play Local events but earn no points and can't enter Conference events or above.
• Local events need at least 6 players or teams to count toward standings.