Golf coach agrees to remove PGA references

Professional golfer Kevin Beirth has told the High Court he will no longer promote or hold himself out as being part of a body called the Irish Professional Golfers Association (IPGA) or the International PGA.

Mr Beirth, of Milesian Lawn, Feltrim, Swords, Co Dublin, today (Tuesday) undertook to remove all content currently hosted on the ipga.ie and irishpga.com websites.

He will also write to the Irish Domain Registry instructing it to transfer the websites to the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) and remove any content indicating his websites having any connection with the PGA.

Declan McGrath, SC, who appeared with John Sweetman for the PGA, told Mr Justice Dan Herbert today that he would file a cessation of business name form in respect of Irish Professional Golfers Association. He would not sell or provide any products or services under the title IPGA.

The PGA had been seeking injunctions permanently restraining Mr Beirth from infringing its trade marks and passing off goods or services as those of the PGA. It had also sought a ban on the use of what it claimed were misleading website titles.

The court had earlier heard that the Professional Golfers Association was most commonly referred to by the acronym, the “PGA,” and owned one of the best known sports brands in the world. It had an Irish regional office in Dundalk employing seven full-time staff and other part-time employees.

John Yapp, Group Finance Director of the Belfry-based PGA, said that following his removal from the PGA, Mr Beirth had started advertising PGA golf tuition on a website and was using the PGA registered trade mark crest. Recently he had significantly escalated his operations.

Barrister Eoin O’Shea, counsel for Mr Beirth, told the court a number of issues had been resolved and Mr Beirth was prepared to give a number of undertakings to the court and the PGA.

He said there were still a number of outstanding matters between the parties, including his expulsion from the PGA.

The matter was put back for mention on September 12th.