Andy Busch from Litchfield and Ben Palmer from Sioux Falls are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the game of cornhole.

Busch is an avid cornhole player, competing in Willmar on Mondays, Litchfield on Tuesdays and regional tournaments on the weekends.

Palmer, on the other hand, just took up the game about a year ago, having been introduced to it by his father-in-law, Brett Opdahl from Montevideo. He’s a novice.

Yet they were both on hand Saturday to play in the two-day American Cornhole League (ACL) tournament, held at the 5 Family Ranch on the outskirts of Marshall.

Busch said he enjoys the game of cornhole “because there’s just the best people that play it. It’s the whole environment,” he explained. “It’s a welcoming experience, and the players are all helpful. It’s a popular social game, and it’s for everyone, all ages and cultures — it’s addicting.”

Palmer enjoys the game, too, and feels “there’s more to it than you think,” he said of the game and the various rules and strategy involved. “Things can change quickly, and I enjoy the mental part of it. There’s always room for improvement. It’s a cool group of people that play, too.”

Usually a wedding venue, 5 Family Ranch was busy on Saturday as over 40 players competed in a tournament that was organized by Darrell Bittner and his wife Lois from rural Clarkfield, members of the Fish on Target Cornhole chapter based in Montevideo. There was also competition on Friday night.

Darrell Bittner is the Minnesota state director of the American Cornhole League and the husband-wife duo organize similar tournaments in the region. This was the second of three scheduled tournaments held at 5 Family Ranch.

Cornhole is probably best known as a back yard social game played in the warmer months. It’s also known as “bean bags” in some circles, though Bittner said cornhole is the proper term for the game.

“What we do is the same game that is played in the back yard or at the campground, it’s just brought inside, “ he said.

Bittner is in his second year as state director of ACL and is an advocate for the game.

“It’s one of the best social games out there,” he said. “Everyone is rooting for everyone else to do well, it’s like one big family. It’s truly a game for everybody.”

Those competing in ACL events bring their own bags to throw. The bags are 6 inches by 6 inches and weigh “one pound, plus-or-minus an eighth-ounce,” he explained.

Most bags have a fast side and a slow side, he explained. The slow side tends to not slide quite as much as the faster fabric side. Bags must carry an ACL stamp, which assures consistency, he said.

ACL tournaments feature three divisions, said Bittner. “Intermediate, which is more for the beginner players; a competitive division, for the better players; and an open division, which is for those in the competitive division as well as professional players.”

At Saturday’s event, there was a pro player from Maryland who was competing. His doubles partner is from Sioux Falls, said Bittner, “and players like to check out tournaments at different locations, so they came up here.”

Bittner has watched the game’s popularity grow steadily over the years, and if there’s one thing he’d like to impress on anyone thinking of competing in an ACL event, it’s this: “There’s a lot of good players out there, and you’re probably better than you think,” he said. “Our motto is ‘Anyone can play; anyone can win’ and we prove that at any event you go to.”

There’s trophies and prizes at each event, and cash awards.

“We pay 80 percent of the entry fees,” he said.

The headquarters for the American Cornhole League is Rock Hill, S.C., which hosts the world championships in August.

A player gets 3 points for tossing a bag into the hole on the board, and 1 point for landing a bag on the board.

“It’s a race to 21 points,” he explained. “The first players to 21 wins, and there’s no penalty for going over 21 points in a game.”

Technology does come into play. There’s a tablet at one end of each court and players enter that round’s information — number of bags in the hole, number of bags on the board. It’s a type of handicapping system that determines which division a player will compete in. It also keeps track of player information and helps Bittner set up singles and doubles draws. Tournament draws are messaged to the players’ phones via an app.

Bittner also praised the businesses that host tournaments.

“It’s small business helping small business,” he said. “Once a place sees what we can bring in, they usually have us back,” he said.

Once of the things that Bittner sees often is husband-wife teams, or parent-child teams.

“You follow your kids to their events and watch them, but this is an opportunity to participate in an event with them, it’s great socialization,” he said.