i'll have a round with you brother!
look my advice is, have a couple of range sessions and get a lesson or two so you can contain bad habits early. stuff like consistency of grip and stance. just to get a general feel, but apart from that, i think you have to play courses.
hitting off mats won't really teach you heaps as you won't get proper feedback off mats (you might think you're hitting them well but mats will give you way more bounce than proper turf - so you'll find you're chunking or thinning a lot more and going why? i was hitting them so well at the range).
plus, courses will have all sorts of variables you cannot replicate at a range or at a sim. all different sorts of lies (thick, thin, lush, sitting up on top of grass, bottom of rough, sand/dirt), ball above your feet, ball below your feet, being in the bunker, etc etc.
play some rounds and just pickup at 10 if you're still scrubbing away. you're allowed to suck, but suck fast. don't rush - that's the worst. but don't take 20 practice swings and then scrub it 15m. have 2-3 max, be ready to play your shot and away you go.
but seriously, i'll happily have a slap with you. i was in your shoes 3 years ago so I know exactly how you feel. had never played golf before, was worried about upsetting the wankers. **** em. and i wouldnt judge you either nor would i give unsolicited tips. not unless there was something very obvious and glaring that you could benefit from instantly.
