NATCHEZ — The largest golf tournament in Natchez is back again, and this time it’s bigger than ever.

The 34th Annual Harvest Club Golf Tournament kicks off Saturday morning at 8 a.m., with a practice round Friday afternoon, and the 36-hole medal play tournament will take place at both Duncan Park Golf Course and Beau Pré Country Club.

“We draw from about a nine or 10-state area, and 90 percent of our players are from out of town,” tournament director K.G. Watkins said. “That’s something that’s unique. We’ll have close to 200 players out here this year.”

Heritage Chrysler Dodge and Jeep has donated a Chrysler 300 for the winner of the hole-in-one prize, and Tiger Woods autographed golf bags will be awarded in addition to other prizes.

There will be four men’s flights, a senior fight for ages 60 to 69, a super seniors flight for ages 70 and up and one ladies flight in addition to the championship flight that will play at Beau Pré.

“We try to attract golfers of all different calibers, not just the low handicap guys,” Watkins said. “Eighty percent of our guests are going to be the guys that are going to shoot 90 to 100.

“We want to make sure that when the guys put up their fees — it’s $150 to play — that they are going to get at least an equitable return on their dollar.”

The Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel will host a registration party Friday night as well as refreshments each night and an awards dinner on Sunday afternoon.

The Harvest Club will also host a junior golf clinic from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday for kids interesting in taking up the sport. Previous experience is not necessary.

The Harvest Club Tournament is the first of the year for the 15-club Southern Association of Amateur Golfers, which Watkins said is part of the reason the tournament is so popular.

“Especially in these economic times, you have to pick and choose where you’re going to play golf,” he said. For the guys that come so far, we must be doing something that keeps attracting them. We like to think it’s part of the way we treat our guests when they get here. Natchez is a great city, and it’s a nice place to visit.”

He said it also helps that there is gambling in the area hosted by one of the tournament’s major sponsors.

The Harvest Club uses the proceeds from the tournament to fund its projects in the Miss-Lou and the state.

The club gives academic and athletic scholarships and donates time and money to youth programs and area high schools.

Club spokesman Eddie West said the tournament also has a big economic impact for the community, bringing in six figures in revenue over the weekend.

“That’s an important thing,” Watkins said. “For this one little period of time, if you think about the numbers of people and business we bring in, I think we do a pretty good job for the week that we have.”

West said there will also be children from the Special Olympics at the event, which could not be held without the sponsorship of Heritage, PepsiCo, Dr. Kofi Kumi and others.

And Watkins said although the Harvest Club is one of the smaller community organizations in Natchez, he hopes the impact it makes on the area is huge.

“In the overall picture, we are a small organization, but every little bit helps,” he said. “We do what we can and we try to catch those needs that the major organizations let slip. We try to be the stopgap.”