For the past decade, the Kitsap Golf & Country Club has been getting all decked out with decorations once a year, with golfers showing up by the dozens dressed in pink. The private golf course, located in Bremerton, becomes the site of a big party complete with a golf tournament, bake sale and prizes.

The golfers are there to have a good time — but they are also there for a purpose. The event, called Rally for the Cure, is part of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and funds raised from fees and sales go to fight breast cancer.

“We put a lot of hype out for breast cancer. Everybody wants to help find a cure so they like to participate,” said Cherie Calahan, an ambassador for Rally for the Cure and a breast cancer survivor who has been organizing the event for about four years and has helped previously.

The tournament was originally designed as a ladies’ night out but starting last year, it was opened up for men and children. The 110 golfers who participated last year raised more than $5,000 including $500 from the bake sale alone. Part of the purpose, Calahan said, is also to raise awareness about breast cancer as well as encourage their own members and friends to get screened.

Golf tournaments have been popular around the Kitsap Peninsula as fundraisers and awareness builders for a variety of nonprofit organizations, from Kitsap Mental Health and Kitsap Cancer Services to several chambers of commerce.

“Golfers take any excuse to be out all day,” said Adele Heinrich, executive director for the Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce, which hosts its tournament at Port Ludlow Resort as one of its two major fundraisers every year (the other is a community guide).

The all-day event, which attracts 14 to 18 four-person teams, includes lunch and dinner. Chamber members support the affair by sponsoring holes as well as inviting their business associates and friends to be on a team.

“It’s a time for members to get together, relax and invite their friends, and they know it’s a time to support the chamber because the membership fees can be used for other purposes,” Heinrich said.

Scott Alexander, director of golf at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, said his facility hosts more than 100 corporate and fundraising events every year. Although the numbers have been down the past couple of years, most likely because of the economy, he said they’re picking back up.

“For fundraisers to work, you need sponsors and people to play and that’s been tough in the past couple of years,” he said. He thinks golf tournaments are attractive because it brings together friends having a good time.

“If you have a soft point in your heart for the cause hosting that tournament and if you’re a golfer, you’d want to be there, and it’s a fun event,” he said.

One of the biggest fundraisers at Gold Mountain Golf is for Washington CLUB (which stands for Contractors, Legislators, Unions and Business). The Washington CLUB Charity Golf Classic has raised more than $750,000 in its 10 years for three charities: Holly Ridge Center in Bremerton, The Children’s Hospital in Seattle and the Diabetes Research Institute.

The two-day event attracts 288 golfers to the two Gold Mountain courses, as well as about 100 people for a pre-event the day prior. Participants come from all around the country, invited by CLUB members. The goal is to net $100,000 each year.

“I think golf over the last 10-15 years has intertwined into the business community, and (a golf tournament) is a good business avenue because you can bring in employees and customers. You get solid face time with those people,” said Brian Remington with Golf & Corporate Solutions, who organizes 40 tournaments per year and has been overseeing the Washington CLUB Charity Golf Classic for about eight.

He said for sponsors supporting the event, it’s money well-spent because people love to play golf, they know they’re supporting a worthy cause and it’s a casual atmosphere for networking.

“Maybe there’s a competitive aspect too because these guys come from the business world. Maybe the competitive nature sets golf tournaments apart from an event like an auction,” he said.

In addition to receiving a boost from the CLUB event, Holly Ridge Center has been organizing its own charity tournament. The event, in 11th year, has been hosted at McCormick Woods for the past four years. The fundraiser nets about $15,000, which goes toward covering uncompensated care for children from birth to age 3. Executive Director Roxanne Bryson said the organization, which serves disabled children and adults, helped 830 kids last year and has $500,000 in uncompensated care per year.

She said the majority of the golfers are not there for the game. “They’re there for our children in the community. They have fun golfing but some are terrible golfers,” she said with a laugh. Organizers even offer a prize for the worst team — all in good fun.

While the money is important, Bryson said the event also helps raise awareness about the organization.

“It’s trying to reach out to the community and the people that may not necessarily know about our services. Our organization is 47 years old and has changed a lot,” she said. “I think visibility is really important because we’re doing friendship development, which is very important for nonprofits.”

Some of the golfers who like to support charity events go to several of them every year. Still, since there are so many of these fundraisers, organizers have to find ways to keep them enticing. Jinnie Hanson, director of marketing and communications for the Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound, said having a well-run event is one of the keys to making it attractive.

The Boys & Girls Club has been a co-organizer and beneficiary for the past seven years of the Donald B. Murphy Memorial Golf Tournament, an event that has been launched 11 years ago by Donald B. Murphy Contractors, Inc., raising between $26,000 and $40,000 a year in 2009 and 2010 alone. (The tournament has been hosted at Trophy Lake Golf in past years, but a venue for 2011 was not selected at press time.)

“Golf is a great sport and a lot of people can have a good time,” Hanson said. “But there’s a lot of tournaments out there that compete for their time, so it’s very important to have a well-organized event.”