Emilee Klein spent 11 years on the LPGA Tour before taking the position last fall as head women's golf coach at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., where she now lives. A native of Santa Monica, Calif., Klein won three times on the LPGA Tour, capturing titles at the 1996 Ping Welch's Championship, the 1996 Weetabix Women's British Open, and the 2001 Michelob Light Classic. Klein was a member of the victorious 2002 Solheim Cup Team, where she posted a 3-1-0 record. As an LPGA Tour member, she earned more than $3.1 million. As an amateur, she was a two-time All-American while at Arizona State University, where she was named Golfweek's Collegiate Player of the Year in 1994 -- the same year she won the individual NCAA Women's Golf Championship and helped the Sun Devils capture one of two NCAA team titles during her two collegiate seasons. Klein also was a member of the 1994 U.S. Curtis Cup team, the 1991 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year and the winner of the 1991 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship. Here is what Klein had to say to Lisa D. Mickey in the fourth installment of the LPGA.com's "Whatever Happened To …? series:

Q: How hard was it to play 24 tournaments in 2005 and quit playing the LPGA Tour cold turkey in 2006?
A: It wasn't hard at all. It was time for me to stop. I went through a divorce a few years ago and I continued to play, but I've always been really close to my family and I felt like I never saw them because I was always on the road. It started to get harder. My dad had a heart attack in 2005. I was playing a tournament in Ohio and I went back to my room that night and said, "What are you doing?" I love the competition, but I wanted a normal life. Being on the road wasn't the way I was going to have that. So for me, it was really easy to walk away. I was fortunate enough to have won some tournaments, but there's a time for everything.

Q: But leaving the LPGA Tour as a player to coach college golf is a significant change. Were there specific steps you took to transition out of tournament golf?
A: No, I just made up my mind and did it. I knew it was my time. A lot of players hang on forever, but because I had accomplished most of what I wanted to do, it was easier for me to let go. It was time to make a change. I knew I still had [playing] status and if I wanted to play, I could go back and play a limited number of events. But sometimes you have to take a leap of faith in yourself. It's never even crossed my mind this year to be playing again. You have to be prepared to win and if you're not playing to win -- and you're not prepared to do it -- then I don't need to be out there taking up a spot in the field.

Q: You could have taken a lot of jobs in the golf industry. Why did you choose coaching?
A: I live in Orlando and I saw the coaching job for the women's golf team at the University of Central Florida posted on the Internet. I thought, "That sounds like it could be fun and interesting." I never thought in a million years that I'd be coaching, but once I decided I wanted to do it, I really wanted to do it. I got the job in November 2005 and I put my full energy into it. Everyone thought I was nuts and there were "over and under" bets on when I'd come back [to playing on the LPGA Tour]. I think everyone was really skeptical about me doing this, but I can tell you that I love what I'm doing now. People say they've never seen me happier.

Q: What has your first year as a coach been like?
A: Well, it has been fun and interesting, just as I thought it would be. I call my coach [former Arizona State University head coach Linda Vollstedt] for advice. I appreciate her more than I ever did because I never realized all the things she did for us as players until now, when I'm in that same position to make decisions for college players myself. It's interesting working with the different ages and personalities and recruiting new players. We're really trying to build a program here.

Q: What has been the most difficult aspect of your first year as a coach?
A: Getting people to believe 100 percent in what I'm doing and making them realize that I'm serious about this and that I'm here for the long haul. Convincing people of that has been the hardest thing, so far.

Q: What has been the most surprising thing?
A: How much I love it. I just don't miss playing golf on the tour.

Q: How about the most satisfying aspect of this new job?
A: Having one of my players walk off the green and accomplish something they never thought they'd do is very satisfying. I had a player this year who walked off the green in tears because she just shot a 72 and prior to that, her career-best round had been a 74. She accomplished a goal. Another player shot a 69 for the first time. It's exciting watching them blossom. I have to realize what their goals are and help them take the baby steps. I'm here just trying to help them get better and to help the team get better.

Q: What kinds of things do you call Coach V to ask her?
A: Oh, stuff like recruiting and different issues. She's been a great support. She says, "You'll learn more from them than they will learn from you" and I believe that. She always knew how to read her players and what each one of them needed from her. I was the kind of player that wanted no help and she understood that's how I played my best. Other players want more guidance. Plus, Coach was very motivational. It was never about what you can't do, but always about what you can do. She used to say, "I want to hear about your best shot of the day," and now, I do that with my girls.

Q: Doing what you are doing now, if you could change anything you did as a former college player, what would it be?
A: I would have stayed in school. [Klein turned professional after two years of college golf.] I'm actually back in school now, getting my liberal arts degree. I took 15 hours of classes this summer and I have about one and half more years before I get my degree. Each year, the money has gotten better on the LPGA Tour, and good players certainly look at that. But I think it's so important to gain experience in college. I probably shouldn't have turned pro when I was 20. I'm a great student now, but I wish I would have done it when I was 20 and not now, when I'm 32. What I know now is that it's very important to get that degree because you don't want to get stuck. How many players have I seen trying to make it on tour and not succeed the way they want? Some of them spend a lot of time struggling because they feel they have nowhere else to go. With a college degree, you have more options.

Q: Now that the shoe is on the other foot, what would you say to your players if they were to tell you they are leaving school early to turn pro?
A: I'd tell them to spend this time being with friends and having the chance to grow up. Players like Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr -- who never went to college -- are very special individuals. But you have to think about what happens when you get to an age when you don't want to play on tour anymore.

Q. Do you have to motivate your student-athletes or do you find them as intrinsically motivated as you were when you played college golf?
A: You definitely have to get out there and motivate them and keep them moving forward. You can't let them get down on themselves. I know if they're trying their hardest, there's no need to get upset. If they're working on the right stuff, it's OK. I just try to be positive for them.

Q: How much do your college players know about your LPGA career?
A: They know a lot about it. They ask about the tournaments I won. If Natalie [Gulbis] calls and I'm with them, they say, "Who is that?" One time, they found out I was going to lunch at Panera's with Annika [Sorenstam] and two of them showed up. Annika said, "Who's that?" I was like, "Oh, just a couple of my kids." Really, they just want to please.

Q: Do you have players on your team who could potentially play on the LPGA Tour?
A: I have a couple who would like to play on the LPGA Tour. I don't think they realize how hard I practiced to be there and what it takes. There are a couple of players who have the ability, but it depends on how hard they work. I tell them I'm not their teacher. I'm here to help them with their short game, their course management and their mental approach. One of my former players, Ashley Grier, has really blossomed. She just qualified to play on the Duramed FUTURES Tour.

Q: What tools have you been able to use from your playing days in your new role as a coach?
A: Helping them with drills and showing them things I worked on when I played. I try to help them understand what they have to do to reach each new level. It's all about breaking comfort zones. They're 18, 19 and 20 years old, but sometimes, they're really stubborn. I was about as stubborn as they come, but now I find myself trying to show them a drill used by the best players in the world and they're like, "No, I want to do it this way." And I'm like, "Please try it."

Q: Which is harder, hitting the shots in competition or watching them hit the shots?
A: Watching. I wish I could just put on a wig and play for them. There's no control when you're watching. Sometimes I eat a lot of trail mix because I get so nervous. You know, eat on the tournament trips, diet when I get home. But I walk every hole with them. I make yardage books for them. And sometimes I wish I could hit the shots for them.

Q: What do you miss the most about the LPGA Tour?
A: Just the benefits of meeting people around the world and seeing my friends on tour. I'm going to Miami for Cristie's [Kerr] dress fitting for her wedding. I saw Janice [Moodie] recently. Sometimes I see Annika, but I'm so busy learning my new job and studying on the weekends that I don't have a lot of time. I enjoy my new life. It's totally different from my life on the LPGA Tour. Neither one of them is better than the other. They are just really different.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about coaching?
A: Giving back some of my knowledge. I figured out how to get there [to the LPGA Tour]. Now, I'm going to help them figure out how to get there. It's not about me anymore. It's about them. I want to have the No. 1 college program someday and I want to win a national championship as a coach. That's not going to happen overnight. You have to give 100 percent commitment to everything.

Q: How much do you play now?
A: I tried playing with my team, but I found I was more concerned with my game than theirs when I did that. We have short-game contests, which was the strength of my game. They haven't beaten me yet, but I can't wait until they do. I will be really excited. Once they do, they will be going in the right direction.

Q: What was the highlight of your playing career?
A: Winning the [Weetabix] Women's British Open was very special. So was playing on the Solheim Cup. I got to do so many great things. It was a special career. So was winning the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship and winning the NCAA Championship. I'll never forget coming down to the last hole against Wendy Ward, my teammate. I still laugh at the pictures of my fist pump at the NCAAs with my arm straight up in the air. After I played my last college match, I gave my golf bag to my dad and said, "I'll never carry it again." Of course, I did carry my bag again this year while playing with my team.

Q: You're only 32. That's pretty early to leave the tour. Any second thoughts?
A: No. This is it for me. I loved what I did. I have no regrets and nothing to prove. Now, it's about proving I can do something else. I'm a very goal-oriented person and there's work to do here now.

Q: I know you enjoy reading books, but how much time do you now spend reading the NCAA's compliance manual?
A: There are more rules in college than you can possibly imagine. It's definitely different, but it becomes a way of life. If this is what I want to do, this is what I have to follow. For example, there are only so many phone calls I can make to players and you have to learn the difference between "official visits" versus "unofficial visits." There are reasons for everything.

Q: How do you think you can influence your players the most and what do you want them to gain under your guidance?
A: I hope to be a good role model for them. I want to help them with their golf game and help them become the best people they can become. And, I want to help them get their education.

Q: Do you still co-own a coffee and wine bar in Orlando with your parents?
A: Yes. We opened Barnies Coffee and Wine Bar in November 2004 near Florida Mall in Orlando. My parents, Bobby and Randee Klein, run it. Originally, I was going to open a bunch of coffee shops, but I guess you could say [the retail business] wasn't my cup of tea. It's been a lot of fun for my parents, who moved from California to Florida. My dad makes unbelievable ice drinks with yogurt and ice cream. My mom has become an expert in coffee beans.

Q: When you played on tour, you and your dog Callie had some pretty famous travel stories. She kept you on your toes, both in hotel rooms and on planes. Does Callie travel with your college team now?
A: No, she stays with her "grandparents." Callie [who was named for Callaway Golf] just turned nine. She still unzips bags and eats protein bars. Yesterday, she went through my garbage. She got to the point where she didn't enjoy traveling and she'd rip papers to shreds. Several years ago while I was at Mr. [Eli] Callaway's funeral, I left Callie in [former sports marketing executive] Mike Galeski's Callaway office. Callie got out of her bag and was roaming around the Callaway headquarters. I wonder how many alarms she set off. But Callie's been to France and Canada numerous times. She's spent a lot of time with me, flying to tournaments around the world. I figure she has at least two million air miles under her collar.

Story by Lisa D. Mickey. Mickey is a former senior editor at the Golf Digest Company, where she covered the LPGA Tour for Golf World and Golf For Women magazines. She is a co-author of “Champions of Women's Golf: Celebrating 50 Years of LPGA Golf” (2000) and was a contributing writer of The Solheim Cup coffee-table edition book (2005). She currently writes the web stories for and serves as director of communications for the Duramed FUTURES Tour.