Above-par hip strength may be one secret of a lower golf handicap, new research findings suggest.

The study of 82 golfers found that those with the best game also had the strongest hips, pointing to the importance of the hip musculature in coordinating a golf swing, the researchers say.

Dr. Scott Lephart, director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Neuromuscular Research Lab, presented the findings at a recent meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis.

For the study, Lephart and his colleagues divided the golfers into three groups based on their golfing handicaps. They found that greater hip strength during abduction exercises, in which the hip moves the leg out and away from the body, was related to a better handicap. And the best players - those with a “scratch” or better handicap - tended to be stronger in all hip movements that were tested.

Lephart explained that he and his colleagues have been studying hip injuries among elite golfers, who have a high incidence of the problem. Muscle strength, he said, is “critical” to hip injury prevention, but it’s also needed to help stabilize the lower body while the torso and shoulders rotate at the high velocity required for a pro-like driving distance.

Hip strength, Lephart noted, is probably something elite golfers possess, then continue to improve, now that the golf world is recognizing the importance of conditioning.

He said he and his colleagues just completed a clinical trial that shows that improving strength and flexibility in the hips and torso can boost “torso velocity” during a golf swing - and tack on 20 yards to a golfer’s driving distance.