[Yoda]

...How do you tell if you are naturally a swinger or a hitter? I am asking because I believe that I may have fallen on the dark side and am actually trying to learn things about my swing which are going against my nature.

...What do you do with someone who wants to learn this who has VERY bad knees and a bad back? Is it possible to still learn TGM?

Welcome aboard, Fred, and thanks for your recent posts. Keep'em comin'! I'll let everybody else chime in on this one, but here are a few thoughts for you.

Regarding your 'natural' Hitter or Swinger question, most people start out as Hitters. Quite simply, they pick up the Club and they hit 'at' the Ball. It's a very natural, right-sided thing. [Note: For simplicity and precision, TGM is expressed in right-sided terms and left-handers learn to transpose.] TGM embraces that natural tendency and -- Hitting or Swinging -- assigns control of both Clubhead Acceleration and Clubshaft Plane Line Tracing to the Right Hand and Forearm. The Left Arm is essentially inert and participates by default as the Radius Power of the Stroke. Clubface control is assigned to the Flat Left Wrist and its Hinge Action. Hence, the TGM dictum: Right Hand -- Clubhead. Left Hand -- Clubface.

Again, this division of responsibilities applies to both Hitters and Swingers. The 'fork in the road' that separates the two lies in how each chooses to drive the Club through Impact. If you choose to Push it through with Right Arm Muscle Power (Right Triceps), you are Hitting. If you choose to Pull it through with Left Arm Centrifugal Power (Body Momentum Transfer) you are Swinging. Both ways can be equally effective, and as your post hints, the player's choice may ultimately be determined by psycholocial preference.

The problem we have is that, once you get through the basics of grip, stance and posture, almost all conventional golf instruction is written for the Swinger. And there are quite a few Component Variations that are ideal for the Swinger but that don't transfer particularly well to the Hitter. Hence, the nether world of the Switter.

Bottom-lining now to your question, I would first determine what you are currently doing. If your Stroke tends to be shorter and 'stiffer' and you drive your Right Arm against the back of the Shaft as if it were an axe handle, you are leaning toward Hitting. If, on the other hand, your Stroke is longer and 'free-er' and you whirl the Clubhead about you as if it were attached to the end of a rope, you are leaning toward Swinging. Either way, you'll help yourself a lot if you get in touch with that Right Forearm and its sense of Acceleration during the Release Interval.

Regarding bad Legs and good Golf, look no further than the real world example of Ben Hogan. He played his greatest golf after the automobile accident that basically destroyed his legs. Now far less mobile and usually wrapped in bandages below the knee, his Legs -- the Feet and Knees -- became his Anchors. All unnecessary motion was eliminated, and they became the stable base of his super-efficient Golfing Machine.