As general manager of Bernardus in The Netherlands, the host venue of the 2026 Solheim Cup, Sabine Riezebos brings a distinctive leadership perspective to one of Europe’s most compelling modern golf and lifestyle destinations.
Since opening in 2018, Bernardus has quickly developed an international reputation not only for championship golf designed by Kyle Phillips, but also for its refined hospitality and carefully curated destination experience. Sabine Riezebos’ background spans tourism, hospitality, sales and marketing, facility management and commercial strategy – all of which has helped shape Bernardus’ guest-focused identity and growing international profile. This is supported by a wider lifestyle offering that includes the Bernardus Lodge boutique accommodation and Nami, the Michelin starred restaurant that has become a defining element of the Bernardus experience.
Bernardus has evolved with a very clear sense of purpose since opening in 2018. How would you describe the destination you are building today and the experience you want international visitors to take away from a visit to Bernardus?
Our aim is to become a true bucket-list course, because we feel that everyone has their own golfing bucket list, and that is exactly what we are working towards.
We want to differentiate ourselves from other courses by creating an exceptional experience for every visitor and giving people lasting memories. You can change materials and physical details over time, but no one can take away your memories. That is why everything at Bernardus is centred around creating an experience that people will remember.
This thinking also led us to create our day membership concept – The Day Member – which is quite unique, particularly in The Netherlands, where we are the only club offering it. Everyone is welcome at the course, and rather than simply paying a “green fee”, guests pay for a full day experience which we usually describe as ‘Day of Lasting Memories’.
That means your trolley is ready in the car park, Titleist balls are available on the driving range and guests can play an unlimited number of holes. That is very unusual, because normally you are paying for nine or 18 holes. Sometimes it takes a little explaining, because people initially think €255 is a high “green fee”, but it is not just a “green fee”, it is a day membership.
Catering is also included. At holes 8 and 13, we have fridges where guests can help themselves to sandwiches, drinks and have a glass of Bernardus wine. Golfers can also make use of our wider facilities, including the heated swimming pool near the lodge, the tennis court, which is available all year round, and the gym. Guests can book a massage, and partners who do not play golf are more than welcome to enjoy all of these facilities free of charge. So, I do believe we have a remarkable experience to offer golf lovers from around the world.
Hosting the Solheim Cup in 2026 will place Bernardus and the Netherlands firmly in the global spotlight. How do you see the event acting as a catalyst for the long-term positioning of Bernardus rather than a single moment in time?
We previously hosted the KLM Open, which is, of course, a major DP World Tour event and very well known in The Netherlands, although not necessarily on a global scale. We were very conscious that, if we wanted to strengthen Bernardus’ international profile, it was important to host an event with truly worldwide recognition among golfers. In that respect, the Solheim Cup offers a very special opportunity.
The Netherlands is still not widely thought of as a golf destination, and many people still ask whether it is even possible to play golf here. Part of our ambition is to show that not only is it possible, but that golfers can feel genuinely welcomed and enjoy a wonderful experience here.
Travel patterns are also evolving as the climate changes. When some destinations become too hot at certain times of year, people naturally begin to consider other options. In Scandinavia, for example, snow limits golf for part of the season. The Netherlands is nearby, accessible, and well positioned in that context. We would love to see both the country, and Bernardus in particular, become increasingly recognised as an appealing option for golfers from across Europe and beyond.
Bernardus combines championship golf with hospitality, gastronomy and design under one brand philosophy. How important is that integrated lifestyle offering in appealing to a modern international audience and differentiating Bernardus within Europe?
It is incredibly important because it allows us to speak to a much broader audience. We are not only welcoming golfers, but also their partners and friends, including those who may not play golf themselves, and ensuring that they too can have a wonderful experience and create good memories at Bernardus.
We are seeing more and more couples and groups of friends visiting together, where some may spend time on the course while others enjoy the city, explore the surrounding area by bicycle, or simply go for a walk. They can come back together for lunch, and afterwards the golfers may continue their round while non-golfers relax by the pool or enjoy a massage.
From the very beginning, we wanted to create something that extended beyond golf alone, and that approach has proved to be very successful. Of course, we still have guests who jokingly say they would rather not tell their partner too much about Bernardus in case it changes the nature of their golf weekends, but overall it has worked extremely well!
Our Michelin-starred restaurant is also a very important part of that wider offering and we are very proud because not many golf venues in Europe can say they feature one on site. While there are certainly more fine dining restaurants located near golf courses, very few are truly part of the venue itself, and we are proud to be one of them, having held our Michelin star for seven years now.
Guests also have a choice depending on the kind of experience they are looking for. At Bernardus Café, they can enjoy something more relaxed, such as a salad or a casual lunch, while at the Michelin-starred restaurant they can experience a more refined style of dining. That sense of variety is very much part of what makes Bernardus distinctive.
Since opening, Bernardus has quickly achieved elite championship status through hosting the international events and earning consistent global recognition. What key decisions or guiding values have been most influential in shaping that journey?
Much of it goes back to the original vision of our owner. He had visited many golf courses around the world and made a list of everything he felt could be done better, and that became an important starting point for Bernardus.
From the outset, we wanted to avoid some of the rigidity that can define traditional golf clubs. Of course, we were still sure to respect the rules of golf, but we also wanted Bernardus to feel relaxed, kind and welcoming. If someone prefers to play in jeans, that is absolutely fine. For us, what matters most is that people feel comfortable and enjoy their time here. Ultimately, our goal is to create experiences that leave guests with lasting memories.
I was involved in the project while the course was still under construction, and during that period I visited around 30 golf courses in the region. What stayed with me most was the lack of hospitality. Very often, no one welcomed you, asked if you needed help, or made you feel noticed. That was something I found quite striking, particularly coming from a hospitality background where those gestures are simply second nature.
So when people asked what we wanted to do differently, my answer was always very simple: we wanted to begin by welcoming people properly. It sounds small, but it makes a real difference, and in my experience at the time, it was surprisingly rare.
For the past three years, Bernardus has been ranked number one in The Netherlands by Leading Courses, and I believe that reflects the complete experience: hospitality, service, facilities and course conditioning. Those are the details that shape the guest journey, and we are always looking at how we can keep improving. Reaching the top is one thing, but staying there is the real challenge.
Looking beyond 2026, what does success look like for Bernardus on the global stage and how do you hope the destination will be talked about in the years following the Solheim Cup?
First of all, we want this edition of the Solheim Cup to feel genuinely different from previous editions.
For example, we are the first course to host the PING Junior Solheim Cup on the same course. Usually it is played elsewhere, but we felt very strongly that if we are creating this entire stage and atmosphere, it should not be only for the main event. We want the girls who look up to these players and dream of following in their footsteps to have the chance to play the same course, not one that is somewhere else and treated as secondary.
They are hugely important to the future of golf, especially when it comes to girls and younger women, so we want that to be reflected in a more meaningful way.
More broadly, we want to show the world that Bernardus is a must-visit destination. The Solheim Cup is an exceptional global event, and there will be a great deal of international promotion around it, but for us the real question is what comes next. On 14 September, the event will be over, and that is when our work really begins.
We need to make sure people know what Bernardus is, what they can find here and what makes the experience special. We also want them to see that we are constantly evolving. We have only been open for eight years, yet we are already redesigning the restaurant, because if you do not keep moving forward, you fall behind.
Success for us is about continually looking ahead and making sure people understand that Bernardus offers a complete and exceptional journey.
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