Harvest Club to host 35th annual open tournament

Published 12:16 am Friday, April 9, 2010

NATCHEZ — The Harvest Club might not be very big, but you would never know it by visiting the Duncan Park Golf Course this weekend.

That’s because the club will be hosting the 35th annual Harvest Club open golf tournament Saturday and Sunday, which will raise money for charities in Natchez and across the state.

“The Harvest Club goes back to what its name is,” club president K.G. Watkins said. “The club was started to try and harvest the youth and help people in the community understand the game of golf.”

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Watkins said the Natchez-based club, which has only five members, uses money raised from the tournament to donate to numerous goodwill.

“We’ve donated to the cancer society, had clinics for kids and even sponsored scholarships for kids to go to school,” Watkins said. “We’re completely non-profit. We take all our proceeds to various donations in Natchez and across the state.”

While there may only be five members of the Natchez Harvest Club, the tournament, which will take place Saturday and Sunday, will have over 130 participants from around the Southeast, Watkins said.

“I’m looking for about 136 golfers to participate,” Watkins said. “It really is an economic boon to the city. They spend two or three days here and bring their wives and families.”

The reason the tournament has so many players from across the Southeast is due to the Harvest Club’s membership in the Southern Association of Amateur Golfers.

“The organization covers about nine states in the Southeast, and there are several chapters in each state,” Watkins said. “In Mississippi there are chapters in Natchez, Biloxi, Meridian, Hattiesburg and Vicksburg. Each city hosts a tournament once a year. We go around, enjoy each other and enjoy playing the game of golf.”

There are still a few spots for local golfers left in the tournament.

The entry fee is $150 per person, which includes a cart and green fees for two days, as well as all social entertainment provided.

For more information, contact Watkins at 601-807-5348 or by e-mail at gsusigma@yahoo.com.