Beach golfer to play from sunrise to sunset for charity

VIRGINIA BEACH -- From sunrise to sunset on Sept. 20, Xerxes Nabong will hit the links to help find a cure for diabetes.

The game of golf is his passion, and he plays two to three times each week.

“I like to get out there as much as I can and sponsor local tournaments, too,” said Nabong, who in March started his own financial consulting firm, Maliniak and Nabong Wealth Advisory Services.

The business has kept Nabong so busy that he didn’t have time for his usual fundraising for the American Diabetes Association. That’s when he decided to use his love of golf to raise money for the organization.

For the past three years, Nabong, 27, has participated in “Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes,” held at Neptune’s City Park on 31st Street. But his golfing prowess goes back much further.

An amateur golfer since the age of 12, Nabong remembers his father dropping him off at Ocean View Golf Course in Norfolk to play 36 holes.

“I practiced, played and worked there,” Nabong said. Although he would hang out for 12 hours, the upcoming golf-a-thon at Cypress Point Golf Course will require continuous hole after hole, and shot after shot.

That’s fine with Nabong. He’s willing to go the distance in memory of his late grandmother, who suffered from diabetes and died in the Philippines in April while receiving her weekly dialysis treatment.

“I see a lot of people with diabetes, and I knew I had it in my family,” said Nabong, noting there are 23.6 million Americans, including children and adults, living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Another 57 million have pre-diabetes.

Several of Nabong’s friends will help by driving him around and navigating the course, searching for his golf ball and alerting players that he’ll be playing through to the next tee.

“It’s for a good cause,” said the Brenneman Farm resident. “I’m going to keep going.”

During the golf-a-thon, Nabong, who will be wearing a red shirt, plans to use his iPhone to record 30-second videos and upload them to his Facebook page. He’ll also post photos and update his status on Facebook and his Twitter feed to keep people in tune to his progress.

Pledges for the golf-a-thon can be made either by hole, per birdie, under-80 pledge or through a single donation.

“My goal is to play at least eight rounds of golf – 144 holes – and raise $5,000 to present to the American Diabetes Association at this year’s walk on October 2,” Nabong said. 

To sponsor the Golf-a-thon for Diabetes, call or e-mail Xerxes Nabong at 822-8397 or Xerxes Nabong@gmail.com. You can also “friend” him on Facebook and link to his fan page “Golf-a-thon for Diabetes – September 20, 2010.” His Twitter feed can be followed at xerxesnabong.