Meet the bagpipe player who is an integral part of the John Deere Classic trophy presentation
So when the 2025 John Deere Classic winner is named on Sunday and the trophy presentation begins, it’s all kicked off by a very distinct sound. That’s right. So we’re gonna show you this is what it looks like from high above. It’s super small, but you can see right down there in the bottom corner of your screen that is a bagpipe player leading a group of flag bears down the 18th hole fairway, and we are. So excited to welcome Derek Grant, the classic’s resident bagpipe expert to the current. Derek, thank you so much for being here. When and why did you start playing bagpipes? Uh, when I was, uh, we immigrated to America, uh, when I was a little boy, uh, from. And uh when I was 10 years old, my mother asked me if I wanted to take bagpipe lessons from a friend of theirs in Cedar Rapids. Well, being a 10 year old kid, I didn’t think that was sound like a good time, so I didn’t, uh, I didn’t, uh, start playing bagpipes then, but. Uh, my mother never pressed the issue either, and, uh. I met my wife, uh, after my mother died, and, uh, that couple from Scotland came to our wedding, and I, we had bought me a kilt and, uh, hired a local bagpiper, Bill Lee, and, uh, there were a couple, Kenneth and Margaret McLeod from Scotland were going back to retire in Scotland, and Kenneth says, well, I didn’t play these bagpipes anymore. You may as well have them. So I got a set of bagpipes off of Kenneth and a book of music and a practice chanter and uh I called our piper for our wedding. And said, Bill, I wanna start learning on this, and that was 1991. And then how did you get involved with the John Deere Classic? Well, in 1993, our local Scottish society, Scottish Society of the Quad Cities, uh, approached the tournament when it was at still at Oakwood and said, Well, Scotland is the home of golf. It should probably be some representation of Scotland at the tournament. So in 1993, the tournament, they started having a bagpiper and it was a local piper, Doctor Kirk Witherspoon. And, uh, local flag bearers, members of our society who all all have since sadly died, uh, uh, Charles Thompson, Chick Thompson, uh, John Tennant, and, uh, Jim Scott, and, uh, and then just started a tradition there on Sunday morning for the memorial service, have the bagpipes and the flags come up the fairway, and then they do a little uh memorial service for the volunteers that have passed away, uh, since the last tournament. And then, uh, they have a singer who comes and she sings Amazing Grace, and then I’ll play a few tunes on the bagpipes and then on Sunday afternoon come back and we all gather down on the 18th and then just wait for our turn and the tournament officials down there and gets a radio call and says, OK, go, and then we I pipe up up to the to the verge of the green and they all stand there while the trophy’s presented and I started in 2003 with the duty, uh, long story short, uh, uh, Billy, uh. Played pipes for it and his wife Peggy Lee has played for it and then in 2003 I got the. I got the opportunity and I’ve just — done it ever since
— been here ever since. When you are walking down the 18th, I mean, I get goosebumps every time. The sound is incredible and everyone is silent and watching you. Is there a lot of pressure in that moment? Yeah, you want to start uh the bag you want to start inflate the bag and not. Make anything squeak or squeal. You wanna have a good, uh, steady tone on the, on the drones and then play your tune correctly. But my wife always says, you know, 98% of people can’t tell one bagpipe tune from another. You’re kind of worrying for no reason. You are such an important part of this, um, not only the part that maybe we all see. At the 18th hole at the end of the tournament, but the other parts that you described, um, how special is that that you’ve been part of it now for 2 years? I feel very honored to be able to do it every year. I awaiting me if I’m available and I usually mark the date on the calendar ahead of time so I’m I’m ready to go. I hope that it’s not guaranteed guaranteed. Oh I love it. OK, well, we wanna tell people at home unfortunately we’re not gonna have Derek play the bagpipes right now because as you can see we are directly over top of the 18th green and players are still out there right now and the bagpipes are very loud, but I am so curious how do you play the bagpipes? Well, you just, uh, it’s got a leather bag for an air reservoir and just inflate the bag through the blow stick. And then when you get enough air in there, you just give them a little squeeze and that starts to air up the drones. It makes that background droning noise, and then you squeeze it a little harder, and that makes the, the chanter reed vibrate, and then just play the melody. On the melody chanter they’re just uncovering the holes on the chanter. It’s only a 9 note scale, so it’s kind of restricted with I’ve been asked to play the national anthem that’s not a possibility because you go too high above the bagpipe scale in the blow it and get your technique to get to get a good steady pressure and then have the tunes memorized and then uh. To, uh, — to play
— well. And do you play events around town as well? Yeah, I’ll be, uh, tomorrow morning I’ll be in East Moline for the, the Firecracker 5K and then our band, our pipes and drums will be in the East Moline Fourth of July parade tomorrow afternoon. Then Saturday I have a wedding to pipe at down in Alpha, Illinois, and Sunday I’ll be back here. So you’re staying busy, yeah. OK, you are in demand before I let you go, Derek, what is your advice if someone wants to get into bagpipes? Uh, come to our practice on, uh, a Thursday night at Christ the Anglican Church in Moline, and we’d be happy to have anybody that wants to learn bagpipes or drums. We always in need of drummers too, so I’d be, you know, everybody’s, uh, always welcome. We don’t charge for our, our lessons, which is kind of. Antithetical to a Scott to not to charge for uh for services rendered but uh we’re always, we have some young young kids in the band right now that are are just learning and then we have our our core group of uh experienced bagpipers that kinda show them the way. Has there been anyone that has nudged you and said, hey, when you are ready to to hang up the the bagpipes, I wanna do that. Good. No, not really. No, nobody from our band has said that. No. Oh my goodness. — They just see how hard you
— work. Derek, thank you so much for coming on. Of all the years that I’ve watched you come down the fairway, it just blows me away every single time. Thank you so much for your time. — That was very
— kind. Thank you, Shelby. Thank you.
At the beginning of the presentation, Derek Grant will lead a group of flag bearers down the 18th Hole fairway. It’s a nod to golf’s roots in Scotland.
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