As general manager of Bernardus, the future host venue of the 2026 Solheim Cup, Sabine Riezebos is helping shape one of Europe’s most distinctive modern golf destinations, one where golf, hospitality and lifestyle are not separate pillars, but part of a single and highly intentional experience.

In European golf, there are increasing numbers of venues with strong architecture, immaculate conditioning and high-quality facilities. Far fewer, however, manage to create a genuine sense of identity, one that extends beyond the course itself and is felt consistently across every touchpoint of the guest journey.

Bernardus has carved out its own space, and since opening in 2018, the Kyle Phillips-designed venue has quickly established itself as one of the most compelling modern golf and lifestyle destinations in Europe.

Its rise has been driven not only by the quality of its course and growing championship pedigree, but by a broader proposition: a destination where golf, gastronomy, design, stay and service are conceived as part of a complete experience.

From the Bernardus Lodge and the club’s distinctive culinary offer to Bernardus wines, which add another layer to the destination’s sense of taste and personality, every element contributes to a brand that was never intended to be simply a place to play golf.

At the centre of that evolution is general manager Sabine Riezebos, whose professional background spans hospitality, tourism and premium experiences. It is a background that helps explain much about the way Bernardus operates today.

Riezebos does not approach golf through a narrow operational lens. Instead, she brings a broader leadership perspective shaped by environments where experience, service standards and brand perception are inseparable.

Looking back on her career, Riezebos identifies the most defining moments as those where she was responsible not only for operations, but also for shaping a brand and the story around it.

Working in high-end, guest-focused environments taught her that leadership is rooted in clarity, consistency and the ability to empower teams to deliver beyond expectation. Just as importantly, it taught her that the smallest details often define how a place is remembered.

That combination of commercial understanding and guest experience ownership seems to sit at the heart of her leadership style. She talks not only about quality, but about trust, accountability and a shared sense of pride. Strong teams, in her view, are built when people understand what they are creating together and why it matters.

That mindset found a natural home at Bernardus.

“What immediately stood out to me about Bernardus was the ambition. It wasn’t about building just another golf course, but about creating a destination that could compete on a European level from day one.”

From the beginning, Bernardus was conceived as a destination capable of competing on a European level, one that would pair world-class course conditions with a level of hospitality more readily associated with premium hotels and resorts. The blank canvas made that ambition even more powerful, allowing the team to make decisions intentionally and to build a brand that could feel distinctive and coherent from the outset.

Ask Riezebos what makes Bernardus feel different from other top-tier venues, and her answer is: precision and atmosphere.

Those two ideas perhaps best capture both the venue’s personality and her own management approach. Precision is visible in the presentation of the course, the consistency of standards and the careful choreography of the guest journey.

Atmosphere is found in the calmness of the setting, the tone of the welcome and the way the experience feels intuitive rather than over-staged.

What Bernardus seems to understand particularly well is that modern luxury in golf is rarely about formality. It is about ease. It is about anticipation. It is about making quality feel natural.
Riezebos is clear that what truly sets the club apart is the integration of hospitality into every touchpoint.

“At Bernardus, nothing is accidental. From course presentation to service flow, everything is designed to feel seamless. It is not just about playing golf, but about how guests are welcomed, how service is delivered, and how consistently the experience is maintained across the entire day.”

The result, she suggests, is not something flashy or overly formal, but a quieter, more confident form of refinement, one built on calm execution and attention to detail.

That is an important distinction. At many venues, hospitality still operates as a complement to the golf offer, something layered around the core sporting product.

At Bernardus, it appears far more embedded than that. Hospitality is not an accessory; it is part of the operating philosophy. It informs how the club positions itself, how the team behaves, and how members and visitors are expected to feel from the moment they arrive.

“For me, it starts with a simple principle: every guest should feel equally valued, whether they are a long-standing member or a first-time visitor.”

Bernardus will enter a new chapter of visibility in September 2026, when it hosts the Solheim Cup, with the event taking place from September 11–13, and the PING Junior Solheim Cup also being staged at Bernardus earlier that week. For Dutch golf, it is a landmark moment. For Bernardus, it is both a validation of what has already been built and a significant opportunity to strengthen its international profile.

Riezebos is careful, however, not to frame the event as a one-off moment of prestige. Her perspective is more strategic than that. Bernardus has already shown its capabilities through hosting the Dutch Open on multiple occasions, but the Solheim Cup offers a much broader global platform.

More importantly, it gives Bernardus and the Netherlands an opportunity to challenge lingering assumptions about the country’s place within European golf travel.

The Netherlands is still not always thought of instinctively as a golf destination, yet its accessibility, climate and position within Europe make it increasingly relevant, particularly as travel habits evolve and golfers begin to look beyond the most established southern markets. Bernardus wants to be part of changing that conversation.

Preparation for the Solheim Cup reflects the dual nature of the Bernardus brand. On the course side, the team is focused on meeting the highest international standards, with particular emphasis on consistency and playability under championship pressure. Off the course, equal attention is being given to logistics, hospitality, flow and atmosphere.

“What’s important is that we don’t lose sight of what makes Bernardus unique. While the scale of the event is different, the ambition remains the same.”

What matters most to Riezebos is that the scale of the event does not compromise the identity of the venue. The ambition remains the same: to deliver an experience that is refined, well-organised and unmistakably Bernardus.

In an industry often drawn to spectacle, Riezebos appears more interested in substance: the calibre of the welcome, the confidence of the operation, the coherence of the brand and the memory a guest takes away.

Bernardus may soon step onto one of the biggest stages in world golf, but the thinking behind it remains grounded in something more enduring.

Get the details right. Make people feel special. Build a destination worth remembering.