St Andrews (Scottish Gaelic: Cill Rìmhinn) is a small town of around 18,000 people situated on its own bay beside the North Sea on the east coast of Scotland about 50 miles north of Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city. The medieval layout of the town centre remains intact: beautiful old stone buildings, quaint narrow lanes and broad, tree-lined streets contribute to the unique, safe and tranquil atmosphere of St Andrews.
St Andrews has acquired the name "home of golf" for two reasons. First, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, founded in 1754, exercises legislative authority over the game worldwide except in the U.S. and Mexico. Second, the beautiful links (acquired by the town in 1894) is the most frequent venue for The Open Championship, the oldest of golf's four major championships.
About the middle of the tenth century, Saint Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland, and his feast day is on November 30th. The Saltire (or "St. Andrew's Cross") is the national flag of Scotland.