When one thinks of rental cars, they usually imagine overused sedans in neutral colors that lack pep or performance. Rental cars have often been generic, neutral vehicles maintained due to their functionality and reliability. The car rental process, however, has changed over time. Now, a prospective renter can choose from a wider spectrum of vehicles, including popular high-performance sports cars.

A sports car might appeal to a renter for any number of reasons. A single person traveling alone may crave something novel and fun while on a dull business trip or as a means of rounding out a vacation trip. Others may wish to try their hand at driving a sports car on a temporary basis just for the sake of variety. Still others can use the opportunity to rent a sports car as a financially viable means of creating an extended test drive prior to making a sports car purchase.

Of course, one cannot expect to rent a high-end import sports are at rates similar to those they might pay for a domestic standard issue vehicle. Sports cars, of course, are more expensive to purchase, maintain and insure. Thus, one can expect to pay significantly higher rates when renting one.

Sports car rentals create a unique opportunity for renters. It can give one a chance at glamour and excitement for a few days without any real commitment or long-term burden. Although the cost of renting a sports car may be high enough to freeze some renters out of the market, their availability does increase their accessibility to those who may never have another opportunity to enjoy the sports car experience.

Though there are all kinds of contenders for the longest course, one such has to be the International Golf Club in Bolton, Massachusetts at 8,325 yards. (That’s from the “Tiger” tees. From the regular tees, it’s a mere 6,547 yards. Wimp.)

One competitor is a course near the Himalayas that claims 8,548 yards. But at an elevation of 10,000 feet it’s hard to verify, since it’s situated in a mountainous region of China.

For those of you who think that sand trap you played last Sunday was horrible, head to the one at the Pine Valley Course in New Jersey called Hell’s Half Acre.

The longest single hole is said to be found at the Satsuki Golf Club in Japan. A mere 909 yards. (No doubt by the time this is published, someone will have surpassed it. Golf courses are cheaper to build than skyscrapers.)

If you thought that course in the Himalayas was tough on the lungs, try the Tactu Golf Club in Morochocha, Peru. 14,335 feet above sea level at the lowest point. Be sure to take your oxygen tank.

Scotland, of course, hosts dozens of some of the finest courses in the world. But for my money, the one near Stromness has the rest beat. It’s not the most difficult or even the prettiest. But how often do you get to play within a few minutes of a 5,000 year old burial mound, like Maes Howe? Kinda makes you feel younger after you’ve missed that three foot putt.

Ok, so what about Idaho? Well, it’s not the largest, the highest, the most difficult or the oldest. But the Hidden Hills Resort near Hope, Idaho has some of the loveliest scenery. Wild deer and moose wander only a few yards away from some of the water traps, and the enormous log cabin-style lodge has the best food and drink for a hundred miles around.