Good write-up Kent, I completely agree.
Pushing the glide just a bit further than it looks like you can make is a recipe for serious disappointment.
I recently flew a type I hadn't flown in a year, and so practiced some glides for my own currency. Happily I nailed them, but admittedly this particular aircraft glides a bit like a Space Shuttle, which I think actually makes it easier in some ways.
I have tried the return-to-runway 'impossible turn' in several different aircraft. It certainly varies a LOT with the characteristics of the aircraft in question, and can require some aggressive maneuvering - which is VERY risky if you are in a stall-able type and not practiced in such flying. And most people are not, and would likely fail to complete the turn safely.
I try to practice some 'emergency' or 'off-nominal' procedure on every flight, if practical, to maintain some currency in them. And a good flight simulator is a suitable place to practice some of the more hazardous maneuvers in safety, it can be educational and enlightening.