rod guides, reel mounts

I just bought a St. CRoix 10ft med action blank stick
and plan to put a Penn 550 with 20lb powerpro line on it
for the surf.

My question concerns the first rod guide spacing and size
from the reel. I also noticed the reel sits kind of low
on the rod and I'm worried about line slap.

Are there any hard and fast rules for positioning rod guides?

Is there something that raises the reel higher off the blank?

Thanks for your answers.

^Gin^

ps I sometimes need 5 oz and more pyramid to put.