Well MALD39, in my opinion just sit down and play the game. Practice, practice, and practice. Everyone here has their own style of play and does things a little differently. So sit down read the faqs section. Keep up in the forums because you never know when somebody will post a question that you may have. So you may not even need to ask something because it may already have been answered.
Now as far as the game itself. Learn the courses inside and out. Learn what your clubs can do and not do. Also learn what shot type to use in different situations and learn to use different kinds of spin on the ball. Now if you do those things then chances are is that you will become a pretty good player. And if there is a course or more specific a hole that you just can't figure out how to play then post your question in the forums and I guarantee somebody will have an answer for you.
So do those things and play match play games, like others have said in the above posts, with people that are better than you. Because you can learn so much from people that are better than you. Especially when first starting out. Hope this helps you a little bit. And if you have any other questions then feel free to post away or look me up and I would be happy to help ya. Oh and by the way I'm by no means an "elite" player but i have been here for a little over a year and I do know a little bit so I would be more than happy to help. Good luck to you in your exciting, fun, and at times very frustrating journey.
Master Yoda