Decadeslong family golf outing remembers late patriarch, honors dads

The DiSanti family Father’s Day golf outing started as a simple thing.

In 1985, brothers Richard, Victor and Joseph DiSanti decided to hit the links on Father’s Day weekend as a special tribute to their late father, Richard V. DiSanti.

“Everyone has golf events, but yet, this is a Father’s Day event,” said Richard DiSanti Jr. of West Deer. “The golf is unimportant, but the Father’s Day aspect is important to me.

“If you’ve got a good father, you’ve got a good start.”

Year after year, a group of family and friends golf together as a special tribute to Richard V. DiSanti, as well as others they’ve lost over time.

Forty-eight golfers — triple the amount from when the family first started the event — golfed Saturday at Pittsburgh North Golf Course in Richland.

“It’s been an honor to have been a part of a fun legacy,” said Richard V. DiSanti’s grandson, Victor DiSanti Jr., who’s participated in the event for about 30 years. “It’s great to see friends and family and meet new people.”

Before teeing off, the group prays and remembers Richard V. DiSanti, as well as others who have passed away over the years. After golfing, the group goes back to Richard DiSanti Jr.’s house for a picnic.

“Like anything else in life, your dad still lives with you,” Richard Jr. said. “This keeps my dad’s memory alive.”

As the family grew and changed over the years, the golf outing did, too. The family event has been played over three courses: the now-closed Rose Ridge Golf Course in West Deer, and Pheasant Ridge Golf Club, previously known as Sandy Hill, in West Deer. They’ve been at Pittsburgh North for about the past decade, Richard Jr. said.

Three people — Richard Jr., the patriarch’s son-in-law, Denny Kurn, and his son, Tim — have seen all the changes, playing together since the event started.

“It means a lot to me. I have fond memories of (Richard V. DiSanti),” said Tim Kurn of Valencia.

Tim Kurn had a close relationship with his grandfather.

“He taught us how to work hard. I tried to carry that in my son. It’s an important connection back to my legacy.”

Richard Jr. remembered his father as a simple man and an “old Italian coal miner.”

“He had simple values that we respected and try to pass down to our kids,” he said.

Richard Jr. keeps a plaque of the winners throughout the years. While the games and potluck were fun and light-hearted, many paused and some got emotional to remember what Richard V. DiSanti meant to them.

“He was a special guy,” Victor Jr. said. “He had a heart bigger than the world. He did everything he could for anybody.

“That’s what this is all about, being together and giving back. He was a big influence in my life.”

While Richard V. DiSanti was more of a fisher and hunter, the family decided to golf because it’s “more of a social event than anything,” Richard Jr. said.

“We’re trying to carry on what he enjoyed,” Richard Jr. said. “He enjoyed conversation and being around people.”

Richard Jr. said the family has no plans of stopping the event.

“The biggest thing is, we tell stories,” Richard Jr. said. “It gives us the opportunity to reminisce and tell stories of people that are gone. It doesn’t get old.”

Richard Jr. is also proud of how the gathering instills family values and camaraderie among some of its youngest members. He golfed Saturday with two of his grandchildren: Miles Hedglin, 11, and Sebastian Sweeney, 6; and two son-in-laws, Kerrigan Sweeney and Matt Veseleny; and a friend, Chase Lehigh.

Richard Jr.’s son, Matthew DiSanti, of West Deer, said the event is one he grew up with. Matthew, Darren Brennfeck, and Tim and Nico Ward won this year’s event.

“I look back with a lot of appreciation for my dad because he would bring me as long as I can remember,” Matthew said. “I can’t remember a time when he didn’t bring me here.

“I learned a lot about how important Father’s Day is based on how my family raised me and how they treated the day.”