--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Golf has an ambivalent relationship with…" description: "\"Golf has an ambivalent relationship with the environment. On one hand, it's a great preserver of open spaces. Golf doesn't pave the world - it helps to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/thomas-friedman-1784_environment_golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with_2618777.png" --- # Golf has an ambivalent relationship with the environment… ![“Golf has an ambivalent relationship with the environment. On one hand, it's a great preserver of open spaces. Golf doesn't pave the world - it helps to green the world. But the downside is, it uses a lot of fertilizer, pesticides and water. And this is in a world where we know that synthetic…” quote by Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/thomas-friedman-1784_environment_golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with_2618777.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/thomas-friedman-1784_environment_golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with_2618777.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/thomas-friedman-1784_environment_golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with_2618777.png) > “Golf has an ambivalent relationship with the environment. On one hand, it's a great preserver of open spaces. Golf doesn't pave the world - it helps to green the world. But the downside is, it uses a lot of fertilizer, pesticides and water. And this is in a world where we know that synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are toxic, and water is more and more scarce. Golf could do a lot more.” [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Golf preserves open land but harms ecosystems through heavy chemical and water use, highlighting a conflict between recreation and sustainability. **In simple terms:** Golf saves green space but damages nature. Key Takeaway Balance play with eco‑friendly practices. Themes environment sustainability recreation land use resource management Mood concerned reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - course design - maintenance policies - water conservation - chemical alternatives - community outreach Key Concepts ecology resource depletion environmental ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can golf courses reduce chemical use without compromising play? - What incentives encourage sustainable maintenance? A Different Perspective Eco‑friendly measures can be costly and may affect play quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Golf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf/) [Golf Ambivalent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf-ambivalent-2091605/) [Golf Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf-doesn-2091604/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Helps Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helps-green-2091607/) [Open space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-space/) [Spaces Golf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spaces-golf-2091606/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Golf has an ambivalent relationship with the environment. On one hand, it's a great preserver of open spaces. Golf doesn't pave the world -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with-the-environment-on-one-hand-2/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Golf doesn't really have many big guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooks-koepka/golf-doesn-t-really-have-many-big-guys/) [Brooks Koepka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooks-koepka/) > [I was shooting in the low 70s and 60s by the time I was 12. That's the great thing about golf. It doesn't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-watson/i-was-shooting-in-the-low-70s-and-60s-by-the-time-i-was-12-that-s-the/) [Bubba Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-watson/) > [Golf doesn't look like it's going to be that hard, but then you start to do it and you realize, 'Wow, this isn't that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cub-swanson/golf-doesn-t-look-like-it-s-going-to-be-that-hard-but-then-you-start/) [Cub Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cub-swanson/) > [The game of golf doesn't come rushing back to you. Last week I made a couple of fundamental mistakes that I probably wouldn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-norman/the-game-of-golf-doesn-t-come-rushing-back-to-you-last-week-i-made-a/) [Greg Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-norman/) > [I'm pretty much an open book. I am a fanatic golfer and golf nut. If I have three free hours any day, my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-m-pretty-much-an-open-book-i-am-a-fanatic-golfer-and-golf-nut-if-i/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Water is our next great environmental challenge. It is the new oil. How are we going to preserve this sport unless we are designing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/water-is-our-next-great-environmental-challenge-it-is-the-new-oil-how/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [“Reyes. Alexander. Farrow," I said. Seconds after I spoke his name, Reyes walked into his bedroom, and I looked across the open space directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/reyes-alexander-farrow-i-said-seconds-after-i-spoke-his-name-reyes/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [“The more I read, the more I felt connected across time to other lives and deeper sympathies. I felt less isolated. I wasn’t floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-more-i-read-the-more-i-felt-connected-across-time-to-other-lives/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I think the best thing about my game that translates into the NBA is being able to create for others. Using open space and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-carter-williams/i-think-the-best-thing-about-my-game-that-translates-into-the-nba-is/) [Michael Carter-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-carter-williams/) > [There must be an open space in the paintings - an entry space for the viewer, or even for me. Just white space where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-bisky/there-must-be-an-open-space-in-the-paintings-an-entry-space-for-the/) [Norbert Bisky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-bisky/) > [“I wrote MARCH FARM because I fell in love with the farms of Bethlehem when I moved here in 2000. I became passionate about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mcmillan/i-wrote-march-farm-because-i-fell-in-love-with-the-farms-of-bethlehem/) [Nancy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mcmillan/) > [My parents wanted me to grow up around horses and open spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/schuyler-fisk/my-parents-wanted-me-to-grow-up-around-horses-and-open-spaces/) [Schuyler Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/schuyler-fisk/) > [I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-will-build-a-car-for-the-great-multitude-it-will-be-large-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Drag has always been an open space where anyone within the LGBT community can express their creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-carrera/drag-has-always-been-an-open-space-where-anyone-within-the-lgbt/) [Carmen Carrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-carrera/) ## More by Thomas Friedman > [I'm pretty much an open book. I am a fanatic golfer and golf nut. If I have three free hours any day, my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-m-pretty-much-an-open-book-i-am-a-fanatic-golfer-and-golf-nut-if-i/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [The financial crisis just made the hole deeper, which is why our stimulus needs to be both big and smart, both financially and educationally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/the-financial-crisis-just-made-the-hole-deeper-which-is-why-our/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Many jobs at Google require math, computing, and coding skills, so if your good grades truly reflect skills in those areas that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/many-jobs-at-google-require-math-computing-and-coding-skills-so-if/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Never before in the history of the planet have so many people, on their own, had the ability to find so much information about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/never-before-in-the-history-of-the-planet-have-so-many-people-on/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [When I was growing up, my parents told me, 'Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.' I tell my daughters, 'Finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/when-i-was-growing-up-my-parents-told-me-finish-your-dinner-people-in/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Hillary Clinton has decided to line up with John McCain in pushing to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/hillary-clinton-has-decided-to-line-up-with-john-mccain-in-pushing-to/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Two things are going on at the same time with the flattening of the world: The relentless quest for efficiency is squeezing some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/two-things-are-going-on-at-the-same-time-with-the-flattening-of-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Our president's latest energy initiative was to go to Saudi Arabia and beg King Abdullah to give us a little relief on gasoline prices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/our-president-s-latest-energy-initiative-was-to-go-to-saudi-arabia/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I don't think the Arab Spring had much to do with energy. I think it was just the opposite, in fact. I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-don-t-think-the-arab-spring-had-much-to-do-with-energy-i-think-it/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Until we fully understand what turned two brothers who allegedly perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings into murderers, it is hard to make any policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/until-we-fully-understand-what-turned-two-brothers-who-allegedly/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Geopolitics is all about leverage. We cannot make ourselves safer abroad unless we change our behavior at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/geopolitics-is-all-about-leverage-we-cannot-make-ourselves-safer/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Big breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets what is desperately needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/big-breakthroughs-happen-when-what-is-suddenly-possible-meets-what-is/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [That's right-the striking thing about greenhouse gases is the diversity of sources that emit them. A herd of cattle belching can be worse than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/that-s-right-the-striking-thing-about-greenhouse-gases-is-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [There is something more severe than the problem with Thomas Friedman, which can be generalized to represent someone causing action while being completely unaccountable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-is-something-more-severe-than-the-problem-with-thomas-friedman/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/pessimists-are-usually-right-and-optimists-are-usually-wrong-but-all/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) [Explore all 208 Thomas Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## More Environment quotes > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [This welfare for wealthy companies wastes taxpayer dollars, harms the environment, and makes a mockery of the recent reductions in federal social spending programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/this-welfare-for-wealthy-companies-wastes-taxpayer-dollars-harms-the/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Daily life is both the subject and environment of the work I am making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-henrot/daily-life-is-both-the-subject-and-environment-of-the-work-i-am-making/) [Camille Henrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-henrot/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Of course, learning is strengthened and solidified when it occurs in a safe, secure and normal environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-bertrand-aristide/of-course-learning-is-strengthened-and-solidified-when-it-occurs-in-a/) [Jean-Bertrand Aristide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-bertrand-aristide/) [Browse all 8,669 Environment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Golf has an ambivalent relationship with the environment. On one hand, it's a great preserver of open spaces. Golf doesn't pave the world - it helps to green the world. But the downside is, it uses a lot of fertilizer, pesticides and water. And this is in a world where we know that synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are toxic, and water is more and more scarce. Golf could do a lot more.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Friedman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with-the-environment-on-one-hand/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Environment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with-the-environment-on-one-hand/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/thomas-friedman-1784_environment_golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with_2618777.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/thomas-friedman-1784_environment_golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with_2618777.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6d/thomas-friedman-1784_environment_golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with_2618777.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Golf has an ambivalent relationship with the environment. On one hand, it's a great preserver of open…” — Thomas Friedman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Friedman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Golf has an ambivalent relationship with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with-the-environment-on-one-hand/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/golf-has-an-ambivalent-relationship-with-the-environment-on-one-hand/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```