A. Be patient. Don't be in too big of a hurry to level up, gear up and tier up. Take the time to really learn the game. Many of the best quality people are willing to help you with your game here in the forums and some of them will even help you while playing. Asking politely is the key.
B. Find a few friends you can trust and avoid playing against anyone you don't know. You can usually find honest people and advice here in the forums. Reading here will help you decide who you can initially trust.
C. Find a good country club to join and play your tournaments there. The WGT -sponsored tournaments for lower tiers are notoriously full of cheats and multiple account holders who mastered the game and now started another account to win those tournaments and cheat honest players.
D. Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Don't allow the things you find irritating with the site, the players or the company make you lose sight of the fact this is a game and intended to be entertaining.