Tournament director John Roche, of Alexandra, said 180 people had registered for the event, to be held at the Alexandra golf course and run by the Alexandra Golf Club, from April 4 to April 7. There was also a waiting list.
Players were coming from around the country and Australia, Mr Roche said. Hosting the event was a real coup for Alexandra.
"Our course is wide open for this sort of thing because it's one of the least used," he said.
Although most golf courses had about 600 male members, Alexandra had only about 150. In addition, the weather was usually reliable.
Based on players' handicaps, the tournament was divided into 11 groups.
To add a Central Otago flavour to the event, the groups were predominantly named after gold-mining ghost towns in the district, such as Welshtown, Logantown and Carricktown, Mr Roche said.
The groups were spread over three divisions - open men, with a maximum handicap of 24; seniors, who had to be 55 years old or over on March 31; and women, with a maximum handicap of 40. Out of the 180 registered for the event, there were only 12 women competitors, he said.
The tournament would be played over four rounds of medal play, with scores added at the end of the fourth day to find winners.
While the tournament was on the course would be closed to club members and the public. Mr Roche said members would not be upset as the money it raised through entry fees was good for the club.
Accommodation and food providers in Alexandra would also benefit, he said, as almost 100 wives, husbands and partners would be accompanying the golfers. A separate golf tournament was being held for them in Roxburgh, as well as a mystery bus tour.
