I agree it's very type-specific. My first CG aerotow was an LS4 with a
tailskid on a gravel runway. 10 yds of furious pedal work and then it
all came together. On tow I could feel no difference from a nose hook
as the LS4 has perfect manners. My tailwheel Open Cirrus is even
easier, including launching (from short grass) with no wing runner and
the wing down.

I once aerotowed a K13 on the CG hook by accident - chatting to my
pupil and didn't notice the wrong hook was selected. No problem on the
ground run, but the offset CG hook meant that I had to fly the entire
tow with some rudder.

Other types may be harder to handle. An earlier poster said that only
a stupid pilot would allow kiting, but the BGA experiments some years
back demonstrated that stupidity would not be necessary. Take
something like a K8, which pitches up aggressively when there is a
strong pull on the rope. Add in strong thermals and a pilot who reacts
a second or two late (say low hours or out of currency) and kiting
goes out of control rapidly, leading to a tug upset.

Most UK clubs won't allow a light, high-wing glider to be aerotowed
off a CG hook (though experienced pilots might, or might not, be an
acceptable risk).

But a decent-handling glass glider should be perfectly manageable.
Directional instability on the ground run? Fix it with the rudder and,
if you can't, pull the bung. Perfectly safe enough. If you might hit
another glider or run off the field, even if you pull the release,
then you're launching from the wrong place.