The guy they call "Johnny Clippers" is a gamer. As in: He's played every game out there. Shuffleboard. Darts. Bowling. Kickball. (Oh, kickball. Just get him going as he watches opponents try to "bunt" their way aboard.)

And now John Watt has a new hobby, one that many of us have tried in our backyards or with friends — and, frankly, with beanbag in one hand and beverage in the other. Who knew you could actually make money at cornhole?

But this is John Watt's story: Barber and beanbagger. Watt, a North Stonington resident and 1998 Grasso Tech grad, cuts hair at Otto's Barber on Bank, a city success story illustrating that quality often begets location. Watt, Steve Harvey, Kathleen Leuze and owner Linda DiPalma do their thing well, leaving Otto's as a must visit in the 06320.

Watt, as it the case with many barbers now, must adhere to strict COVID guidelines, thus sadly imperiling bottom lines. How does one perhaps supplement income? By playing a backyard game for real, of course.

"The best thing is that anyone can play," Watt said earlier this week. "I've played guys on crutches. Against 74-year olds and 14-year olds. I've been beaten by all of them."

Which is sort of the appeal of cornhole. It's not football, although the ACL (American Cornhole League) shares time on ESPN with more mainstream sporting endeavors.

"Last year, it was all backyard stuff and local fundraising tournaments," said Watt, whose eclectic taste in games reflects his varying sports passions: Mets, Colts, Nets, Florida State football and Duke basketball.

"There was a dude named Jason Startz who started a Coastal Cornhole League. I figured I'd go join and see what happens. I've gotten better but I'm not even in the top 10 in the league yet. There are some really, really good players."

Startz, who lives in Mystic, started as Watt did — innocently enough — until he got the bug.

"I got addicted to it and started to search for tournaments," Startz said. "I saw the ACL on ESPN. I looked around and decided to start my own league. We get about 40-45 people on Thursday nights at the (Mystic) VFW, but we're looking for something bigger. We're outgrowing the space."

Startz said weekend tournaments — largely fundraisers — allow nominal cash prizes. But the more points amassed in local and regional leagues and tournaments, the greater the chance of achieving professional status. Watt and partner Pat Ouellette of New London call themselves the "Brew-Tang Clan," which straddles the line between clever and priceless. (Is it too early to print "Brew-Tang Forever" T-shirts?)

Turns out there's actual strategy to the game. This is news to many of us whose cornhole game plan isn't more complicated than remaining upright after a few too many "social sparklers," as former Navigators (and Yankees) manager Stump Merrill used to call them.

"It's just like every other sport in that you strive for consistency," Watt said. "The main thing is getting the bag to come out flat like a saucer, like a frisbee if thrown right. It needs to be flat so it lands and glides. Took me months to get it right. Now it's making sure you do it right all the time."

Watt even likens the work improving at cornhole to his work at Otto's: "consistency, being available and doing the work," he said.

And who knows? Maybe one day Johnny Clippers trades in the clippers.

"At a national tournament," Startz said, "prize money would be about $10,000. You wouldn't be able to retire. But there are some pros that do have endorsements. Cornhole bags themselves have come a long way. Lot of big companies can't keep up with the demand on the bags. Some bags you order take 6-8 weeks to come in."

Watt, perhaps unwittingly, found the game that best mirrors his vocation. Watt's barber chair is a case study in diversity and inclusiveness. So is his new game.

"I played against him a little over a year ago and he wasn't that good," Startz said. "Then he started playing regularly and improved dramatically. That's what we see. People who come into the league after playing in their backyard get their eyes opened. Some people walk away in shame. Some stick it out, take their lumps and get so much better.

"But that's the point. Have fun and get better. We welcome anybody. Beginners to the best. You always play with different partners. Everyone fits in."

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro