By: Tommy Reilly 4.18.14

"Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional" - Chili Davis

There are few things better in life than spending a day at the beach with friends and family.  However, after an hour of laying in the sun like a rotisserie chicken at a Brazilian steakhouse, it's time to have some fun.  Traditional beach games of yore like bocce & paddle ball are fine but they are about as exciting as the one piece bikini- not our cup of tea.  Lucky for you we've compiled a list of the best beach games for 2014. 

BearPong ($69.99):   Besides having a great name, Bear Pong has combined everyone's favorite table top drinking game with oversized hilarity. BearPong is quickly sweeping the nation as the top oversized beer pong game & we'd suggest giving it a try on the beach.   Feel free to add a drinking element to keep it true to its roots.  We wouldn't have it any other way. 

Sand Soccer (Free): The greatest thing about sand soccer is that you don't need to bring anything more than a soccer ball or volleyball to the beach.  Essentially it's a miniature version of the full game played next to the ocean.  We recommend the harder sand for more speed and less sand related injuries.  Even though your entire body will be incredibly sore afterwards, it‚Äôs a great way to wrap up a sunny afternoon at the beach with some competition and exercise. 

TidalBall ($29.99): Of course we'd recommend our game of choice.  TidalBall, America's Beach Game, combines the skill of cornhole with the portability a bag of Funyuns.  Play in the softer sand and you can loft the ball high in air and the game plays a little easier.   Construct the course as easy or difficult as your skill level dictates. Play in the hard sand near a receding tide and you have all of the challenges and quirks of a Masters green on warm day in Augusta. The game is great for families and college students alike.  As always we strongly encourage fun wagers while playing.

 

Frisbeer ‚ÄúStickzee Set‚Äù ($41.59): This crazy game combines Frisbee, coordination, & drinking skills; three of our favorite things.  More for the adult crowd, this game will definitely garner the attention of passing beach goers.  You can find more information by visiting www.frisbeer.org. 

Beach Olympics (Free-ish):  This makes any vacation or trip to the beach forever memorable. Combine all of these games or other games in a tournament-like fashion.  This is a must if you vacation with a large family or a group.  The games can scale multiple days and kids will love it.  The concept seems simple but it can be as elaborate as your imagination.  Make sure to keep a running score & make the prizes fun.

Honorable Mentions:

Pool / Water Volleyball: Volleyball is great but add water to it and it becomes awesome.  It didn't make our list because we enjoy it more in the pool than we do the ocean.  

Cornhole: A great game, born in the mid-west,  is our game of choice when tailgating.  It landed just outside of our list because we don't enjoy lugging the heavy boards all the way to the beach.  And we're still trying to get the sand out of our trunk.