There are zero posts in this community, so I figured I would start it off with the best advice that can be given to a beginner.

Get a lesson!

Don't read articles. Don't take swing advice from randos on the internet. And for the love of God don't watch YouTube videos. They will ruin your swing if you don't know what you're doing (which you don't because you're a beginner).

I spent years working with a bad, inconsistent swing. One, 1 hour session with a local instructor for $125 fixed it so that I'm consistently flushing all of my clubs, and hitting with a slight draw. And I gained 10-15 yards on every club, despite that not being my goal at all. I genuinely would have paid double or triple the price if I knew how much better it would make me.

So why did it take me so long to get a lesson? I think there are a few errors in thought that cause people to avoid taking a lesson (or at least did with me):

1. You just genuinely think you can work it out by yourself, and taking a lesson feels almost like cheating. Or maybe your ego is preventing you from taking a lesson. - Drop the ego, and realize that most people who are any good at golf have probably had a lesson at some point. Golf is hard, and without a professional it's hard to know if what you're changing in your swing is helping or hurting (more on this later).
2. You think that for some reason your swing is the exception, and they won't be able to fix it. - This is just categorically wrong. There is nothing special about your swing. Any instructor worth their salt can suss out your issues pretty quickly, and give you drills and advice to work through them. My instructor found four major problems with my swing within the first seven balls I hit.
3. It's too expensive/isn't worth the money. - If $125 is too expensive, then you're playing the wrong sport. Skip a few rounds and you'll have enough money for a lesson. Trust me it's worth it. One side of this is the thought that if you can fix it for free via YouTube/Articles, then its better than paying for it. This is something that's true in theory, but almost impossible in practice. Without immediate feedback it's incredibly difficult to apply advice you get from YouTube/Articles. Not to mention that everyone is different, and what works for someone else might not work for you. An instructor can give you immediate advice, tailored to your peculiarities. And you KNOW the advice is correct, and will work if you keep practicing it. What's more, the instructor will give you specific drills to work on exactly where your issues lie. There's huge peace of mind in knowing that what you're doing is eventually going to help, rather than constantly second guessing any advice you've received from the internet. Trust the process.

Everyone who gets a lesson says the exact same thing, "I wish I had done this sooner." Get the lesson sooner rather than later, and get those good habits ingrained early. Professionals are professionals for a reason.

Get a lesson!