The Enforcers

After a combined 81 years administering justice for the European Tour, rules enforcers John Paramor and Andy McFee recently called time on their illustrious careers. We caught up with them to discuss rules, regrets and retirement

- Michael Catling

John Paramor is smiling at the prospect of playing more golf. For the last 44 years, he’s had to make do with administering the rules of golf while trying to appease angry golfers. But not anymore. Recently, both Paramor and Andy McFee, his partner in defeating crime, called time on their European Tour careers after roaming the fairways at a combined 35 Ryder Cups and close to 1,000 tournaments each, including more than 100 Majors championships.

Along the way, Paramor (65) and McFee (62) have spent a day with the US President, butted heads with Seve Ballesteros and rewritten the Rules of Golf. Ahead of their final appearance at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, fittingly in the shadow of the European Tour HQ itself, we invited the pair to reminisce about their storied careers and reveal what it’s really like saying no to a professional golfer…

How did you become a European Tour referee? JP Because I couldn’t hole enough putts! I was young enough and stupid enough to think I might be able to play this game for a living. Then I spent a year caddieing for a gentleman called Peter Butler. He always played a practice round with Neil Coles, Clive Clark and Bernard Hunt – all Ryder Cup players – and I soon realised I wasn’t that good.

Peter put my name forward when he heard the Tour were looking for someone to study under George O’Grady and Ken Schofield gave me my break. I started a day after my 21st birthday on the 5th of April, 1976, as a sort of junior rules official.