From starting the game at a young age and spending time working at LaTourette Golf Course – where she met her husband – to co-founding an MGA club without real estate, it’s easy to see that golf runs deep in Laura Delin’s life. Delin joined the MGA’s Board of Directors in 2025 and is looking forward to sharing insights from her own experiences as she gets more deeply involved with the MGA.
Delin was born and raised in Brooklyn and was introduced to the game by her late father, Bill Shea, who took her to driving ranges and Dyker Beach Golf Course, and eventually had her playing in junior tournaments. “At the time I started playing golf, there weren’t really many opportunities for girl golfers,” Delin says. “He kind of became my advocate and said, ‘Can she play, too?’” She also took lessons from Bill Castner, the same professional who had taught her dad how to play.
Delin’s background is in healthcare administration, and she has a master’s degree in public administration from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service. This April, she celebrated 20 years with A Very Special Place – a non-profit on Staten Island that serves those with intellectual and developmental disabilities – where she has been the director of administrative services for eight years. Golf is part of her work, too, as she runs the organization’s annual “Special Strokes for Special Folks Golf Outing.” The fundraiser, which celebrated its 35th anniversary last year, is known to be the second-largest golf outing in New York City.
In 2009, Delin helped found the Weekenders Women’s Golf Club with her then-boss, the late Genevieve Benoit. The group brings together working women who can’t tee it up during the week. They play regularly on weekends, take golf trips, and even have a yearly match against a Brooklyn club. Delin has a deep passion for golf on Staten Island, sitting on the Board of the Staten Island Women’s Golf Association.
Delin recently took her “bucket list” golf trip to Pebble Beach, which was doubly special as it also provided her a chance to raise extra funds for A Very Special Place. She and a co-worker bid on the trip at auction, allowing them to play in Lexus Champions for Charity over three days at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and The Links at Spanish Bay. “I kept pinching myself the entire time I was out there,” Delin says. “We got to learn about other charities and others from across the country got to learn about us. It was great to meet new people and new golfers.”
Off the golf course, Delin enjoys crafting projects, such as sewing, and especially loves to decorate for holidays. In December, she places a Christmas tree in some form in every room of her house, while in March, every room gets a touch of green for St. Patrick’s Day.