The first game
It was a warm spring evening of my senior year of high school. I joined some of my best friends in the world for an evening of games, enjoying each other’s company and the beautiful weather. As the night went on, were casually playing some back yard games like cornhole, spikeball, and tossing a football around. There was nothing more that I could’ve asked for in that night. Little did I know that this relaxed fall evening would be one of the most thrilling of my life. One moment later, my best friend Hogan challenged me to a game of cornhole, and like always, it all started with one bet.
“Five dollars says I beat you this next game.” Oh, Hogan, game on.
It was a riveting game, back and forth the whole time. He scores, I score, he scores, I score. Later, as it nears the end, I hit the last nail in the coffin and the game (and his $5) is mine. However, it is customary in my friend group to always extend the option of double or nothing. For those not familiar, this means that we must play the game again with the same wager. If I win again, then Hogan has to pay in double. If the original I lose the second game, I must forgive him of all debts.
The spiral
Hogan, a gambler at heart, happily accepted the opportunity to try again. Unfortunately for him it was not his night to win. My winnings started climbing: $5 -> $10 -> $20 -> $40 -> $80. I offered him a way out, he refused. They climbed further: $160 -> 320 -> 640 -> 1280 -> 2560. I considered intentionally losing, but for some reason it didn’t feel like it was in the spirit of the evening to do so. They climbed again: $5120 -> $10240, it was at this moment that I knew how ridiculous the night had become. In one more game, we went, neck and neck, with 20 grand on the table. Out of nowhere Hogan pulls some magic shots out of his back pocket and secures the game. And just like that, I was made to forgive him of all his debts.
Despite the fact that the money isn’t with me now, the memory will live on forever. That is when I got the idea for a back yard game that intentionally facilitates gambling. As the idea developed, I realized the other game that I am obsessed gambling on is golf. Therefore, I reasoned that if I enjoy it and so does my entire friend group then there must be at least a few other people who would be interested in the game too.
The legacy
I set off on combining golf and cornhole in my own brand new back yard game. Even though gambling can be a part of it, seamlessly integrated, it is not a necessity. I worked on designing the game with unique objectives but with enough similarities to golf and cornhole that the concept is not foreign to the market.
With the game now created, I only have one step left. I have to get all you good people to join the family with me and Hogan. Make memories that will last a lifetime.