Eric Brown was born in Edinburgh. Aged fifteen months he moved to Bathgate, when his father George got a job as a technical-subjects teacher. Eric stayed in Stuart Terrace and played at the golf course across the road.[5] He represented Great Britain in the Ryder Cup in 1953, 1955, 1957 and 1959 and had a 4–4–0 win–loss–half record. He won all of his four singles matches but lost his four foursomes matches. He topped the European Order of Merit in 1957. He was the non-playing captain of the British Ryder Cup teams in 1969[6] and 1971.[7] He won the Scottish PGA Championship eight times between 1956 and 1968.[8]
In 1974 he opened his own pub called Eric Brown's on Dalry Road in Edinburgh. The pub would become a fixture on the city's music scene and would host early performances from future top ten hitmakers like The Associates and The Thompson Twins on its small stage.[9]
In March 1986, Brown died of a stroke at his home in Edinburgh.[10]
