Golfer plans to take her game to Texas

Louden says she's ready for something different

SPECIAL TO VIEWStephanie Louden tees off at the 2007 Corning Classic in May in New York. Advertisement

A good golfer knows when it's time to make adjustments, and Stephanie Louden is ready to make a big one.

The Las Vegas native will leave her hometown this fall, a move she hopes will instigate a new phase in her career. She and her husband, Mike, plan to relocate to Frisco, Texas, in search of a change.

"The decision (to move) was just a personal thing," the former Cimarron-Memorial standout said. "We travel all over the country, and you can play golf anywhere. We've spent our whole lives in Las Vegas and we just want to try something a little different."

Louden, whose last name was Keever before getting married in 2003, spent much of the past LPGA season experimenting with her game, so the change of scenery perhaps will complete the overhaul.

"I think I'm definitely making progress," said Louden, whose best finish this season came at the SemGroup Championship in Tulsa, Okla., where she finished a career-best fifth. "I made some changes to my swing and to my putt. Now I just have to try to put them together at the same time."

There have been other changes. Louden's husband served as her caddy until recently.

"We have our own things now, and that's good," she said, adding that Mike Louden now caddies for LPGA golfer Wendy Ward. "It's tough to be around your wife 24 hours a day."

That's not to say that she didn't enjoy teaming with her husband.

"It was awesome," Louden said of the opportunity to work with the former Green Valley High golf standout. "He's a great caddy and a good guy. He understood out there that I had to be the boss."

Louden said she will not forget Las Vegas.

"I have tried to be a role model (to younger golfers in Southern Nevada)," said the 28-year-old, who won three tournaments during her collegiate career at Stanford. "There are a lot of great people in Las Vegas who have influenced my life."

In fact, Louden plans to repay the community with frequent return visits. She continues to work with First Tee, a youth program created by the World Golf Foundation in 1997.

"I'll still be involved," said Louden, who turned professional in 2001 before gaining nonexempt status in 2002. "Whatever they need me to do. In fact, I'll be back out in October to help with their Gatorade event."

Louden said she is particularly interested in working with younger players. In fact, she fondly recalled her childhood experience volunteering as a standard bearer at local LPGA events.

"As a kid, I spent a lot of time at clinics learning from pros and carrying their signs," said Louden, who led Cimarron-Memorial to three straight state golf titles before capturing the individual state title during her senior year in 1996. "Now young kids are carrying my sign."