Thanks all. I tried all of your suggestions and Greg's right hand drill. The drill seems to help a lot. Now, I am rarely hitting the ground before the ball and more often than not, the ball goes straighter than before.

I also hit a par three 9 hole course on Sunday and except for the first hole I did relatively decent for a beginner. The first hole I got stuck behind a hill and just couldn't figure out a way to hit it over. Finally after 7 shots I managed to get it over the hill. I think I averaged a double bogeyed for each hole rest of the way. If I can get the ball to stop rolling after it lands, I could post a much better score.