Bernardus Golf, host venue of the 2026 Solheim Cup, has appointed GMS Agency as its international PR and communications partner, as the Dutch championship venue prepares to stage the inter-continental biennial team matchplay event and continues to strengthen its global profile.
Opened in 2018, Bernadus is located in the province of Noord-Brabant, near the historic city of ’s-Hertogenbosch and the Van Gogh National Park, and 30 minutes of Eindhoven Airport, and easily reached from Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
The club’s 18-championship course was designed by American architect Kyle Phillips, with the heathland-style layout having hosted the DP World Tour’s Dutch Open in 2021, 2022 and 2023, earning a reputation for elite championship conditioning and presentation.
Bernardus has earned consecutive recognition at the golfer-voted Golfers’ Choice Awards, published by Leading Courses, having been named Best Golf Club in the Netherlands in 2024 and 2025, alongside additional honours for Best Hospitality, Best Maintenance and Best Facilities in the country. The club has also been recently recognised by the World Golf Awards as the Netherlands’ Best Golf Course. In September 2026, Bernardus will host the Solheim Cup, marking the first time the event will be staged in the Netherlands.
The partnership with GMS Agency reflects Bernardus’s ambition to communicate its story to a wider global golf and lifestyle audience. GMS Agency will lead Bernardus’ international PR and communications activity, focusing on strategic media relations, brand positioning and long-term storytelling across key global markets, with a particular emphasis on leveraging the Solheim Cup as a catalyst for sustained awareness.
The Bernardus brand was founded by Bernardus Marinus Pon and today encompasses Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, Bernardus Wine in California’s Carmel Valley, and Bernardus Lodge, combining championship golf with hospitality and lifestyle experiences under a shared philosophy of quality, design and authenticity.
In addition to championship golf, Bernardus offers a complete on-site destination experience. This includes the Bernardus Lodge, providing boutique accommodation overlooking the course, the Bernardus Academy, supporting coaching and player development, and Noble Kitchen, the venue’s Michelin-starred restaurant, that holds a Michelin star awarded by the Michelin Guide and was named Terrace of the Year 2025 by Gault&Millau.
Sabine Riezebos, General Manager at Bernardus, commented: “We are excited to join forces with GMS to enhance our global presence. Bernardus was created with an international outlook, and this partnership with the agency supports our ambition to further strengthen our global profile as we enter an important phase in our evolution, including our preparations to host the Solheim Cup in 2026.”
Sam Elder, Co-CEO of GMS Agency, shared: “Bernardus has quickly established itself as one of Europe’s most distinctive modern golf destinations. With the Solheim Cup on the horizon, there is a significant opportunity to elevate Bernardus’ position on the global stage, and we are pleased to be working with the team through a strategic global PR and communications partnership.”