From Pakistan to Decorah to play golf

Saad Javed didn't start playing golf until the age of 12.  But when he did, he was very good at it, winning amateur golf tournaments in his native Pakistan.  His drives from the tee averaged 310 yards, which helped him to have a scratch handicap.

So when it came time to go to college, Saad pursued his dream--to play in the United States.  A secretary at the international school he attended in Islamabad, Pakistan knew about Luther College, so Saad contacted Luther men's golf coach Scott Fjelstul, including a video taken at a golf course.  Fjelstul was surprised by the contact, but Luther has a history of welcoming international students.  Although Saad admitted Fjelstul "was surprised by my random phone call," Fjelstul welcomed him to the Luther golf team.  Saad applied for a visa--and found himself on campus in time for J-term.

"God, is this cold!" was his reaction when his plane landed in the Midwest.  There were other adjustments as well, including keeping up with Luther's academic pace and making new friends.

But a spring break trip to Florida to play ten rounds of golf in eight days was a dream come true.  That was followed by the spring golf season  for Luther.  The team finished second at the Iowa Conference meet, with Saad getting to play the final weekend of the two-weekend tournament.

"I've seen a lot of improvement in my game," he says.  Competition in the Iowa Conference is stronger than it was in Pakistan, but playing with so many other good players has improved his game.  Saad says he is much more comfortable now.  "It's so much fun," he says.

Saad will head back to Pakistan for the summer, but he's looking forward to returning to campus next fall.  "Coming here was a dream come true for me," he says.

(Luther student Ben Jordan has produced a YouTube video about Saad Javed.  Click on the video to view it)