Memorial Day Weekend just wrapped up which means that summer is here.
Time to start sneaking out of work early on Friday afternoons to head to the shore for the weekend.
And that’s life for the next 14 weekends until Labor Day.
You wouldn’t want it any other way.
Maybe you live in the middle of the country and you go to the lake instead.
Like I’ll literally get competitive over anything"is your main personality trait.
So here are the best games to play all summer on the beach.
You got a few hours to kill?
Let’s see how deep we can get that thing.
Guys start seeing the bigger picture.
You carve out some steps to get in and out of the whole.
Maybe you pack some sand down to make a few seats in the hole.
Everybody instantly turns into an engineer and an architect.
Thunderstruck
All-time drinking game.
If anyone is unfamiliar, you throw on Thunderstruck by AC/DC and get everybody in a circle.
Every time the “thunder” lyric is said, the next person in the circle starts to drink.
Great fun for the whole family.
Good In Theory, But Overall Just Okay
Washers
Washers is a super simple game.
And that’s what makes it perfect for the beach, right?
Doesn’t take a ton of thinking.
Doesn’t take a lot of explaining if someone is playing for the first time.
But I think washers is a game that’s better suited for the backyard as opposed to the beach.
Those things just sink into the sand and you spend half the day looking for them.
It just becomes a whole ordeal.
Washers is a good game, but it’s just not great for the beach.
Horseshoes
Again, fantastic game.
No doubt about that.
I still think it’s a timeless classic, and always gets the people going.
You want to field an entire roster consisting of an infield and outfield?
Just have 6-8 guys looking to get a quick sesh of whiff in?
All you need is a pitcher and 2 outfielders.
Heck, even if you have less than that you might always just turn it into a homerun derby.
Other games like horseshoes always limit you because it’s 1v1 or 2v2 at most.
I’ll admit, I’m not a great wiffle ball player.
Maybe you’re throwing the ol' pigskin around.
Maybe you brought the lacrosse sticks and are having a catch.
Maybe you’ve got the baseball gloves and a ball with you.
Either way, you start off with the intentions of just having a little catch.
All of a sudden, you find yourselves getting further and further apart.
By the end of this game your shoulder is absolutely fucked and you might need Tommy John.
Bocce
Bocce is a gentleman’s game.
Which kind of takes the air out of it for me.
I love the shit talking aspect of most beach games.
And bocce just doesn’t offer as many opportunities to shit talk your pals as other games.
you’re able to easily play with a drink in your hand.
You need a game like that to take the edge off.
You need a few guys who are going to help set the net up.
And then unless you’re professionals, you probably need at least 3-4 people on each team to play.
Because out of all the beach games, this one is an actual sport.
So that is going to ramp up the competitiveness.
It might just be a game.
It might have no impact on any aspect of your actual life.
You rip them a new asshole.
Don’t get me wrong, drinking plays a huge role in all of these games.
you gotta have a drink in one hand to make it play.
Everybody likes wiffle ball, even if they suck at it.
So the competition can get watered down a bit.
It’s only for those who want to be great.
Kan Jam
I’m going to go with back-to-back disc games here.
But as long as there’s just a slight little breeze in the air?
Kan Jam rules, and it rules hard.
Obviously the biggest thing that separates Kan Jam from the rest is the opportunity for the instant win walk-off.
Nothing gets the boys fired up quite like slotting it in Kan Jam.
Getting your dicks kicked in and down 17-1?
It doesn’t matter, because you’re able to still win the game with just one toss.
You’re never all the way out of it.
You’re on the same page, working with the same touch, it’s poetry in motion.
Spikeball
It doesn’t get more intense than spikeball.
This ain’t your everyday Joe Schmo’s game to play on the beach.
If you break out the spikeball net, you better be ready to work your fucking ass off.
It’s the athlete’s beach game.
It’s the furthest thing possible from relaxing on the beach.
But holy shit does it rule.
This game is just constant chaos.
It lends itself to some incredible highlights.
Cornhole aka Baggo
Cornhole is the most perfect game ever created.
The simplicity of cornhole is obviously a huge pro.
You just put down the boards, throw some bags, and can call it a day.
you’ve got the option to strategically toss some bags on the board to block the other team.
Or you could just be a meathead and go for the dunk every time.
That’s the beauty of it.
Which is really what the summer is all about.
