My theory (best guess) to account for why the dunes & terrain on Irish courses are more dramatic than those on Scottish courses would be as follows:
1) Most of the bigger dunes courses in Ireland (Ballybunion, Enniscrone, Carne, Lahinch, Rosses Point, etc.) are built on its west coast, facing the Atlantic Ocean. At Portmarnock or Royal Dublin, on the east coast, the dunes are not very large.
2) The majority of links courses in Scotland are on its east coast, facing the North Sea. Rather than sitting directly on the North Sea, many of the links courses on Scotland's east coast sit on firths that offer addtional protection from the elements.
3) I would presume (another guess) that the weather conditions (wind, ocean waves & tides, etc.) off the Atlantic Ocean are far more extreme than those off the North Sea. These more extreme weather conditions might have created larger dunes on that coastline.
Other than along the Ayrshire coastline (which does not directly face the Atlantic Ocean), there are surpisingly few links courses on the west coast of Scotland.
Cruden Bay is one of the few courses in Scotland that has a dunescape similar to some of the Irish courses mentioned above. It does sit exposed to the North Sea, rather than along a firth. That might account for why the dunes there are so large.
If anyone has a better explanation, please feel free to tell me how (and why) I am wrong!
