I am contrary to many in that I recommend investing money in good clubs from the very beginning because if you know you have that much invested, you will try harder to make it work. Also, you will have the advantage of the best in technology so there is no excuse outside of taking lessons from a good pro.
Be very wary of pro's who want to drag out the lessons and make you their star pupil, do interview pro's to make sure they understand what you want to accomplish and get their timeline and dollar estimate or tell them you are not interested.
My wife took lessons from the YWCA back in the 80's and is now a 10 handicapper; public rather than private lessons accentuate the fundamentals rather than tricks, gimmicks and con jobs.
All you pga and other schooled pro's out there take notice.