Paramor joined what was then the European Tour in 1976 — “at the age of 21 years and one day” — having spent 1975 caddying for former Ryder Cup player Peter Butler. Ironically, Paramor’s first official task had nothing to do with the rules administration for which he became famous. Rather, he was charged with interviewing Pete Cowen after the now famous swing coach had won the 1976 Zambian Open.

In a statement, DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley paid Paramor a fulsome tribute.

“I said in 2020 that ‘legend’ is a word used too often in sport but in terms of golf, and the administration of the rules of our sport, it perfectly describes John Paramor. Quite simply, he was a leader in his field, the guru of referees, and someone who commanded the absolute respect of the players and of his peers.

“He was a big character in all senses — his physical stature, his stature in the game and his popularity with anyone who shared a dinner or a social occasion with him,” continued Pelley. “He had a strong personality but had passion for his job and the Tour as a whole which shone through whenever you spoke with him. John was, and will always be, a cherished part of our Tour family and will be dearly missed by all of us. On behalf of everyone at the European Tour group, our thoughts and deepest condolences are with John’s family and his many friends across the world on this very sad day.”

Like so many, Paramor’s initial ambition had been to be a player on tour. But that was short-lived. His 1-handicap meant he was good enough to win the Middlesex Open and the Surrey Amateur Championship, but that was, as he would quickly discover, a long way from tour standard.

“Peter was coming to the end of his career but he gave me a great education,” recalled Paramor, who had worked in a steel forge factory to fund his amateur golf. “He played every practice round with the same people: Neil Coles, Clive Clark and Bernard Hunt. I knew by the end of that season what an ordinary player I really was. I played with Peter in the Sunningdale Foursomes and he had arranged for me to have an interview with (former chief executive) Ken Schofield at the European Tour. Ken hired me despite my almost complete lack of qualifications. All I had to offer was that I had played a bit of golf and I was as keen as mustard.”

Over the ensuing years, Paramor progressed to become a Tournament Director in 1979, Director of Tour Operations in 1985 and Chief Referee in 1991, a role he filled until his retirement in October 2020. His final event was the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Over the course of his more than 44 years with the tour, Paramor was involved in some of the most famous rules situations. Perhaps most memorable is the prolonged conversation the official had with Seve Ballesteros on the 72nd hole at Valderrama during the 1984 Volvo Masters.

“That is the ruling everyone remembers,” recalled Paramor, years later. “Seve had hit his ball under the tree, into an area that may or may not have been caused by a burrowing animal. He felt the hole had been made by an animal. One, that was questionable. And two, I couldn’t find any evidence to suggest what he was claiming. He had to prove his case. Anyway, there was a small hole within the big hole. When I went to stick my finger in the small hole to see what was down there, Seve put his hand on my shoulder and said: ‘Be careful, it might bite.’

“That was inspired of course,” continued Paramor. “I almost started to chuckle. He only said that so I would hear it. And that was Seve all over. He was only trying to get what he felt he was due. And he was trying to sway me. But he didn’t, of course. He could be intimidating, but I had to put that to the back of my mind.”

On that occasion, Seve was left disappointed. But on another, his peerless ability to hit shots no one else could even imagine was enough to get him what he wanted.

“Seve was telling me he could play a shot in such a way that his stance would be affected by an obstruction,” said Paramor. “So I told him to demonstrate what he proposed to do — all the time thinking there was no way he could persuade me. But he did. And I gave him a free drop. He had one foot in a ditch, the other above the ditch. Then he turned the club round and swung left-handed. After a couple of practice swings, I was convinced. He could have hit it like that. But there is no way any other player would even have thought of it. Seve was different though. I knew he was capable of such a shot. He was a genius. So he got his drop.”

Many other players had their pleas heard by Paramor, of course, his enormous and enduring popularity testimony to the integrity he brought to the job. And he was quick to acknowledge that he himself was less than perfect. For years afterwards, what Paramor referred to as the “Khan Affair”, caused him to lose sleep.

“The biggest mistake I ever made involved former PGA champion Simon Khan,” he sighed. “It was on the final day in Switzerland back in 2004 or 2005. There had been a change to rule, one I had misinterpreted or at least understood, and I incorrectly disqualified him because I reckoned he had picked up a ball when he should not have done. I was gutted when I realised what I had done. I wrote to him saying how sorry I was and how I clearly hadn’t picked up every nuance of the rule change. It was such a bad moment for me. And Simon handled it beautifully. But I still get upset when I think of it.”

That incident, of course, was very much a case of the exception proving the rule.

“John was a great man,” said three-time major champion Padraig Harrington minutes after hearing the news of Paramor’s passing. “He loved golf. He was perfect in the role. Every time he turned up I was delighted. I knew what he would say was going to be correct. The biggest compliment I can pay him is to point out how popular he was given the job he did. And he was compassionate. When he disqualified me from the 2002 Benson & Hedges at The Belfry (when Harrington’s card was signed twice, but not by the player himself), he tried so hard to find a way out. But the rules were the rules.”

That wasn’t the Irishman’s “worst” moment with Paramor, however. Those came when the Irishman felt as if he was letting the referee down by not knowing a rule he should know.

“I always felt bad and that I was wasting his time,” continued Harrington. “It was always better when he turned up for a ruling that was on the edge. If he gave me the drop I was looking for, I knew there would be no need to second-guess myself. There was no doubt as to whether it was right or wrong. He was the epitome of fairness. He applied the rules in the way they were meant to be applied. No player ever minded being told ‘no’ by John Paramor. He brought great clarity to every situation. And he had such a nice manner when doing so. He delivered bad news like no one else, sometimes without saying a word.”

Paramor’s passing — he is survived by his wife Katie, his children Clare, Alex and Tom and his five grandchildren — will be marked with a minute’s silence during the DP World Tour Thailand Classic at Amata Springs Country Club in Bangkok and during the third round of the SDC Open on the Challenge Tour at the Zebula Golf Estate and Spa in Limpopo.

The post John Paramor, European golf’s ‘guru’ of rules officials, dies at 67 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
In most sports, when referees do the job well they largely go unnoticed. They are there to officiate the outcome, not determine it.

Golf, of course, operates a little differently. A rules official interjects when called upon.

That’s what John Paramor and Andy McFee have done, with a distinct style, for the European Tour for more than four decades, with Paramor beginning in April 1976 and McFee in September 1983. Each eventually ascending to chief referee status on the circuit.

This fall, the duo will work their final tournament. Paramor and McFee will step down after the European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, on Oct. 8-11.

Their place in the game is significant—European Tour chief Keith Pelley referred to each as a legend, and both have presided over important and innumerable rulings through the years. Good friends, they recently sat down to reminisce about some of their more memorable moments here.

One confrontation that stands out: A ruling Seve Ballesteros sought on the final hole of regulation at the 1994 Volvo Masters at Valderrama.

First, let’s set the scene.

In the lead for the most of the tournament and with the spectators eager to see their prodigal son win on home soil, the Spaniard suddenly found himself tied for the lead with Bernhard Langer after failing to birdie the par-5 17th. Then Ballesteros pushed his tee shot at the 18th to the right and his ball settled behind a tree. Seeking relief because of animal hole behind his ball that he said interfered with his swing, Ballesteros called for an official.

Enter Paramor.

“Just behind it was this massive hole that some animal of some description almost certainly dug there,” Paramor recalled. “It did take me a long time and I thought, This is not going to go well for me, because obviously in a tournament in Spain. The vast majority of spectators are Spanish. They were desperate for Seve to win.”

And Ballesteros was desperate for relief. Under the Rules of Golf, he would be entitled to a free drop had the hole been caused by a burrowing animal.

Paramor determined it wasn’t because there was no evidence (animal droppings) it had been and at one point stuck his finger in the hole while examining it. That’s when he felt the Spaniard’s hand on his shoulder and heard him say to be careful because whatever had caused the hole might bite.

“What a lovely thing to say to me in that moment of very, very high pressure,” Paramor said.

Gentlemanly indeed.

But a moment later, with lips pursed, Ballesteros shot Paramor a parting death stare. Then he went on to bogey the hole to lose by one.

The end of an era. Refereeing legends John Paramor and Andy McFee have called time on their careers.

We wish them both the best for the future, and thank them for their over 80 years of service ?

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 24, 2020

It was one of many big moments in a career full of them.

“The word I use about John is gravitas,” McFee said. “He has empathy with the players and he is honest and fair. When John Paramor speaks about the rules of golf, people listen.”

The post European Tour officials’ retirements allow us to recall this classic rules confrontation with Seve Ballesteros appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
It is early to be sure, but initial signs would indicate that the European Tour’s new and more stringent pace-of-play policy is having its desired effect. In a meeting with members of the media at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, senior referee Andy Macfee outlined the data amassed over the first two days of the tournament. On both, the 132-strong field got themselves around the 7,642-yard layout quicker than they had, in similar weather, one year earlier. (Comparisons drawn from the weekend play were impossible; 12 months ago the competitors played in two-balls, this year three-balls were needed).

“In the first round, play was ten minutes quicker,” revealed Macfee. “In the second round it was six minutes quicker. On average, the first round took four hours, 34 minutes (three minutes over the recommended time) and one day later it was the same. Perhaps even more importantly, the flow of play was brilliant. The players were definitely more aware of how long they were taking to hit. The absence of waiting for the group in front to move on drew favourable comments from just about every competitor. And we want them to get used to that going forward.”

Still, best not to get too carried away. As Macfee was quick to emphasize, the reduced size of the field last week (lack of daylight meant a field of 132 rather than a full-size 156) did bring certain advantages. For one thing, when the first groups out on either side of a two-tee start reached their tenth tees, they were not forced to wait. That is all but impossible when the field is bigger. Knowing there will be an inevitable delay at the turn, does, according to the veteran official, apply something of a subconscious brake to proceedings.

“The only way to really improve flow over the first two days is for us to put space into the course,” said Macfee. “And the only way to do that is by reducing the field. Which is tough for us to do as a members organization (translation: turkeys do not vote for Thanksgiving). After the cut we do have another option. This week we used an 11-minute interval between groups rather than 10. We will be doing that whenever we can.”

Surprisingly perhaps, but certainly impressively in the first week of this new and unfamiliar initiative, only three bad times were given out over the four days in Abu Dhabi. Previously, those misdemeanours would have been scrubbed at the end of each round. But now they are carried forward. A bad time on Thursday and another on Sunday, for example, means a one-shot penalty. And regular offenders will also face the prospect of heavier fines.

All of which seems to be having an effect. Although a handful of the usual suspects – no names but they know who they are – did come close to taking too long, they stayed just within the limits. In fact, only one breach was perpetrated by a player familiar with the European Tour. On day one rookie Viktor Hovland took 59 seconds (the prescribed limit is 40 seconds) to hit a putt on the 13th green. During the same round, local amateur Ahmed Skaik loitered over a shot on the second hole for 109 seconds (59 seconds over). And on the final day South African Erik Van Rooyen spent six seconds too long weighing up his approach shot.

“Viktor’s problem was that he took too long to get the line on his ball pointing exactly at the hole,” said Macfee. “But it was explained to him where he went wrong. He clearly listened. One day later we went back to check and he was much improved.”

Indeed, it was difficult to find even one dissenting voice amongst the players. Former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn – also a long-time chairman of the player’s tournament committee – was just one who had nothing but good things to say about the new initiative.

“Pace of play has been great this week,” said the Dane. “There’s not been much moaning, either. It seems like the players have said to themselves, ‘well, this is it.’ It was important that our referees were proactive. They have had many good conversations with the players. Without naming any names, the refs have singled out those they know are slow and had big conversations with them. So there has been a good feeling as everyone tries to get on with it. Hopefully, this solves a problem that has been in the game for a long, long time. If nothing else we are sending a good signal to the world that we are taking this seriously.”

The chats Bjorn refers to have taken place over the last few months. As Macfee pointed out, there is more to this than just players playing slowly. Other factors were coming into play. Ignorance of basic rules was one of the most prominent – and irritating. Too often, referees were being called out to adjudicate rulings the players really should have been able to sort out for themselves. So education on the seven or eight basic rules was required.

“We now have mandatory rules testing for every player on tour,” continued Macfee. “They get two chances to pass and if they don’t, either myself or (chief referee) John Paramor will be wanting to know why. We will sit them down and analyze where they are going wrong. It’s funny though. Everyone seems to be taking it seriously. Every time I’ve gone into the player’s lounge this week I’ve been stopped by someone and asked about one of the questions in the test. So it’s a talking point.”

As an extension of that interaction, the tour has instituted what might be termed a “pod system,” where new members from the qualifying school and the Challenge Tour have been placed in groups of eight and assigned a referee they can approach with any issues.

“Because we don’t have the resources, we can’t have as many officials on the Challenge Tour as we do on the main tour,” explained Macfee. “Because they are placed under less scrutiny, it is, therefore, easier for players there to develop a slower game. Those are the guys we have been talking to. The sooner they realize they have to play quicker, the better.”

Not a bad motto for any tour, come to think of it.

The post European Tour’s new pace-of-play policy returns dividends at Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
One month after announcing a four-point plan—regulation, education, innovation and (reduction of) field sizes—to counter the cancer that is slow play in professional golf, the European Tour is proving as good as its word. At this week’s BMW PGA Championship, two of those four building blocks will be in play.

Because of the tournament’s shift from late May to September, the field at Wentworth has dropped from 156 to 132. That has to do with the availability of less daylight, but another variable in the tour’s equation—innovation—is also part of the plan to get everyone around Wentworth’s West Course in timely fashion. All 44 three-balls will be tracked by a GPS system that will help the referees monitor pace of play and pinpoint each group’s position relative to those ahead and behind.

“A lot of the time players are unaware that they are out of position,” said John Paramor, the European Tour’s chief referee. “So we felt that we would like to find a method that would tell them when they are. So we are trialling this week a system where they will have that information on five tees [Nos. 4, 7, 10, 13 and 16]. The previous group’s time will be recorded when they walk off the green. Then that time will be deducted from that of the next group, who will then be able to tell if they are within time.”

Specifically, each monitor will operate a colour-coded system, similar to a traffic light. If the number shown is red, then that group can expect to be monitored by the rules team very soon thereafter. If it is green, the players are in good shape and in position with the group ahead. Amber means the group is only slightly out position, but the players should be aware that they are going to have to move a little quicker.

“Going forward, we will want to see those numbers available on every hole,” Paramor said. “There will be a tag attached to someone in each group. This week it will be the score recorders. That also relays information to headquarters. All the referees on the course—who will each have a tablet—will know where everyone is on the course.”

Talking of tags, all the referees will be wearing one, so they’ll be able to identify on their tablets the exact location of their colleagues.

“We all need to know where each other are,” Paramor said. “It’s amazing how much time is wasted when a call comes through for a referee. That reaches us pretty quickly, but if the person in the area does not respond—either through not getting the call, or he is already giving the ruling—the two next-nearest officials race to get there, only to find they are not required. The tablet system eliminates that.

“We are very much in the developmental stage with this,” Paramor said. “It is a useful tool. It’s not going to make players play faster. But it will provide information. Players will be more aware. So hopefully they will take it upon themselves to get back in position without us having to tell them.”

Not surprisingly, this latest move by the European Tour has been met with almost universal approval from the players, especially the faster-moving members of the community. But there are doubts, too. And maybe a little cynicism. Only a little tongue-in-cheek, former Ryder Cup player Nicolas Colsaerts suggests attaching a buzzer to the body of potential slow players. And when they are deemed to be out of position, an electric shock is administered to a part of the body best left unmentioned here.

But Colsaerts says the overall plan “has to be a good thing—anything that tackles this issue, which has been on the table for too long. My only problem is that slower players don’t normally have much awareness when it comes to what is going on around them. Are these boards going to be in their faces enough to make them realize they are playing too slowly? Normally they have no idea when they lose touch with the group in front, a situation that is invariably pretty obvious.”

Anyway, in conjunction with this week’s efforts, every tour player, from rookie to veteran, is also going to be tested on what Paramor calls “the six or seven basic rules.” The 45-minute interactive test—taken by phone or online—will involve a series of multiple-choice questions, with 75 per cent success representing a passing mark. Sadly, however, the results will not be made public.

“We are allowing the players to use the rule book,” Paramor said. “All the answers are in there. If they don’t make it to 75 per cent first time ‘round, they get another go at it. Exactly the same test. But if they fail again, they get 45 minutes to an hour sitting down with myself or [fellow referee] Andy Macfee. Personal tuition. If they want to avoid that—and most will—they need to pass the test.”

The post European Tour introduces red lights for slow play (and an open-book rules test) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.