With one three-day weekend behind us and another fast approaching, it's the season of backyard barbecues and beer drinking. With fun comes responsibility: the responsibility to thoroughly trounce your friends and families in the standards of summer outdoor games. SwimWays and its associated brands have everything you need to practice up before your guests arrive.
First up is the bean bag toss, the game formerly known as cornhole until Urban Dictionary pretty much ruined that (NSFW obvs). And if you're looking for the best bean bag toss, you have to go with Star Wars. Kelsyus has you covered here, with a awesome Millenium Falcon versus Imperial Star Destroyer game, where the bean bags are either red TIE fighters or blue X-Wings.
The construction of this game is super high quality, a fact which is apparent just by the weight, which is substantial. The boards are glossy and have just the perfect degree of slickness to land those sliders. Even better, the game board legs fold up and the two halves can velcro together. Throw the bean bags inside and use the attached carry handle webbing to move it around. We suggest taping the included instruction sheet to the inside, if you're prone to forgetting the regulation distance as we seem to be.
Perhaps you're looking for something a little more aggressive, to keep the attention of the more competitive in your group. Seven-year-olds, we're looking at you, and Coop Sports has something for ya: Scatter Dodgeball is a clever take on the original. Each player puts on two of the same color wristband, and takes turns rolling a big colored die. Whichever color comes up, the player wearing it grabs the ball and proceeds to fire away. If they hit someone, they get one of their wristbands. If the target catches the ball, the catcher takes one from the thrower. Collect and win, simple and fun. The ball is soft enough for the young 'uns not to hurt each other, and it's a great way to get them to burn off some energy.
Want something a little more cooperative? You can't do better than flying discs, and Aerobie makes the best. Their Guinness World Record-winning Pro Ring has been thrown 1,333 feet, so you can't blame the technology with this one. The Pro Ring is great for the younger set too, with a soft rubber edge for the inevitable grill shot, and a generous hole in the middle to make for an easier catch.
Star Wars Bean Bag Toss $100.04 at Amazon
Scatter Dodgeball $17.14 at Amazon
Pro Ring $9.99 at Amazon