The town has a rich history and a strong association with religion; it was once the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland. During the reformation in Scotland St Andrews saw much bloodshed as Scotland embraced Protestantism over Catholicism. The reminder of St Andrews strong religious roots is the cathedral ruins, it was once Scotland's largest cathedral and dates from 1318.

In modern times the most common association with St Andrews is golf, the town is commonly known as "the home of golf". This comes from the town having the first ever golf club founded in 1754 which became known as the Royal and Ancient (R&A). The Old Course in the town stands as the most famous and one of the oldest golf courses in the world and is still used for major golf tournaments such as the open and Dunhill cup.