I'm a divot maker

Went to the driving range for the first time in my life yesterday. Picked up the 7-iron club, aligned the clubhead to the ball, shuffled my feet into position, leant forward, bent my knees slightly, locked my left elbow, kept my eye on the ball...and swung. Hmmm...most of my shots went in unintended directions (mostly to the right) and most of them were low-trajectory shots that barely scraped the ground and didn't make it too far. I thought the low height of travel could be because I had hit the ball at the lowest point of my swing rather than during the upswing, but it turns out that it was most probably because I wasn't striking the ball at the right loft (angle between the club face and the vertical plane). I will have to practise some more.

There was at least one decent hit though, which flew a long way roughly in the direction of the flag. Not bad for a first-timer...I hope. Does anyone have good tips for golf or a coach to recommend? In the meantime, let me consult the online experts...such as Golflink...