Endless Summer 2025 bringing big hits for Belleville Sens fans

The physicality and excitement of Belleville Senators hockey may be fading away into the Spring, but more big hits are on the way for local sports fans this summer when the World Long Drive tour rolls into Belleville for “Endless Summer 2025”. The two-day event at Belleville’s Trillium Wood Golf Club, on Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, brings together some of the golf world’s most powerful hitters for a head-to-head showdown under the lights.

On Friday, pro long drivers will have a chance to qualify for Saturday night’s final, with the top 24 hitters advancing. Also, to kick off the weekend, Endless Summer will hold a first-ever Military Tribute Showdown on Friday night, featuring some of the best military hitters from around the world. Additionally, fans can enjoy a demonstration by the SkyHawks, Canada’s national military parachute team!

Endless Summer continues Saturday with a pro-am tournament, during which participating golfers are teamed up with professional long drivers for the day. Some of those long drivers who were unable to qualify for Saturday’s final on Friday will get another chance to punch a ticket during on-course qualifiers throughout the day.

Endless Summer has been spearheaded by Jodie Jenkins, who says the event evolved from a charity pro-am tournament that began in 2017.

“We did that for five years until COVID hit, and I wanted to continue the tournament, so I transitioned in with the long drivers. In the first year, we had around 20 teams and 100 people attend the long drive finals,” said Jenkins. In year two, we had more teams and about 400 people who came out to watch the long drivers. And then last year, we had over 700 people there to watch the finals, with 60 teams taking part in the pro-am.”

Jenkins added that with the tournament continuing to grow, they’re expecting close to 1,500 people to watch the event on Saturday night.

But what can fans who’ve never seen a World Long Drive event expect from the event, and how far are these athletes smashing the golf ball?

“It’s quite a spectacle. Last year’s female champ, Monica Leiving, who’s from Colorado and ranked number one in the world, had a winning drive of 335 yards,” said Jenkins. In our first year, Cody Billinghurst, who’s one of the top Canadians in the world, had a winning drive of 418 yards. We all know someone who hits the ball long, but you really don’t know until you’ve seen this. It’s impressive.”

This year, Endless Summer will be supporting multiple charity avenues. $5 from every ticket is being donated to the United Way of Hastings Prince Edward and the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre, with the United Way also hosting a 50/50 draw and raffles at the event. Jenkins says all those partnerships have been strengthening over the years, including the one with the Belleville Senators.

“My family and I go to a lot of games, and we’ve been watching the team since they started, which coincidentally was the same year we started our tournament, but I thought it was another way just to get the Senators involved on a community level. It’s also a platform that’s conducive for the club to engage with people and get the word out there, and it’s a great way to promote that we have an American Hockey League franchise in town.”

And for the Senators, it’s another opportunity to support major events here in the Quinte Region.

“As the Bay of Quinte’s marquee sports franchise, it makes complete sense for the Senators to be on site during another major sporting event in the area,” said Belleville Sens Vice President of Business Operations John Mathers. “Along with helping to raise money for essential community programming, this is a great opportunity for the club to be front and centre during the offseason, helping to grow our brand and to promote the region as an all-season destination for residents and tourists alike.”

Tickets are $30 for an all-access pass, which Jenkins says gets you front and centre to the action, all weekend long.

“Think of it as a regular professional golf tournament, because this is the biggest long drive championship in the world. You’ll still have to purchase food and drinks, but you can access the grounds and watch whoever you want. You can follow a group around or sit in the bleachers on number one and watch people tee off from there. There’s a DJ all day, it’s a blast,” said Jenkins.

You can click here to visit the Endless Summer 2025 website to purchase your tickets, or get more information about the event.

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