Ask any top golfer to offer one piece of advice and invariably they will say that the key to good golfing is to work on the fundamentals of the game right from the outset.
The grip, posture and clubface alignment are easily overlooked but they are undoubtedly the most important aspects of the game on which to focus, and if you get them right all else should flow from there.
If you do not hold the club properly, nor aim carefully and address the ball correctly, your swing will be a shambles, and if your swing is a shambles your golf will not be enjoyable.
At worst, you will struggle to make good contact on the ball.
At best, your swing will be riddled with compensations to counteract your sloppy basics, all of which will eat away at your power and accuracy.
The world's top golfers are meticulous about the way in which they hold the club, address the ball, aim the clubface and shape their body.
They know that is they encounter a swing problem on the course, most of the time it can be traced back to an anomaly at address.
The moral of the story is that you will maximize your chances of having a good swing if you eradicate errors at the set up stage.
If the grip is the most badly abused of all the swing fundamentals, then alignment is probably the most neglected by players of all levels.
To hit consistently straight shots, the clubface must not only be aimed at your target correctly but also be aligned squarely to your body.
If the clubface and your feet, hips and shoulders are at odds with each other, you will struggle to swing the club on the correct path, making it difficult to strike the ball powerfully and accurately.
It is worth taking a few lessons with a good teaching professional so that you are able to align the clubface and your body correctly.
You will then have a clear understanding of what you are trying to achieve and how to achieve it consistently on the course.