STRI, the world’s leading sports turf consultancy, has been announced as a winner at the inaugural Sports Technology Awards.

At a ceremony held on 4 April at The Brewery in London, STRI was revealed as winner in the category for Best use of Technology by a Governing Body. The award win is in recognition of STRI’s innovative Trueness Meter™ and reflects the achievements of the device being used widely on golf courses and STRI’s application of the technology with The R&A.

The Trueness Meter™ accurately measures the smoothness and trueness of golf greens with the  technology able to track the vertical and lateral movements of golf balls across the surface of the course. This enables golf clubs to measure surface quality and quantify improvement on the greens.

Originally developed in 2006 by STRI scientists, Dr Stephen Baker and Dr Christian Spring, in conjunction with Sheffield Hallam University and with funding from The R&A, The Trueness Meter™ has measured over 2,500 greens on 400 golf courses around the world.

It has also been used by The R&A in all Open Championships since 2010, where the data and results are used to influence turf management decisions on a daily basis.

Gordon McKillop, Chief Executive, STRI, said: “We’re delighted to have won this award at the first ever Sports Technology Awards 2014 especially in the company of such high profile finalists.

“We’re extremely proud of the STRI Trueness Meter™ and the way it has become an integral tool for many golf clubs and The R&A in assessing green performance. As an innovation in golf it continues to make a huge difference to the sport and how it is played and enjoyed all over the world.”