Golfing In Ireland

All I can say is learn to chip and pitch, you must have a great short game to play well here. And it's all about chipping and pitching. So for the love of God, practice your short game.

As I said before, greens here (parkland courses especially) are relatively small. Personally in the States I would hit 14-15 greens in regulation, here the number is closer to 9 or 10.  Golf here involves a lot of scrambling, but if you can chip or pitch well you can have great scores.  When I play in competitions here, I routinely outdrive others by 40-50 yards, but most have a fantastic short game and end up chipping close and tapping in for par. If I miss the green my short is poor enough that I often have 10 footers for par, a tough way to play golf. There is nothing more frustrating than hitting a great drive, just missing the green and making bogey.

Take note that I did not once mention hitting lob shots or flop shots. Greens here are generally not raised or well protected so hitting a high shot is almost never necessary. 99% of the time a pitch will be sufficient to get it close, although most of the time you need only to chip to get it close. Also the higher the shot the more risk involved, especially with the winds here. So play a sensible shot, get the ball on the ground and let it run to the hole. Watch the British Open and notice how they sometimes chip! from 70 yards, letting the ball run along the fairway onto the green. 

Basically if you have a good short game you can play great golf in Ireland. All it takes is a little bit of practice.