On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 6:07:34 PM UTC-5, wrote:
I'm a new glider pilot looking at purchasing a 1-26.

I'm looking at gaining the flights and experience to get the Commercial Glider and adding the CFI-G to my existing CFI-A.

I envision doing auto tows at my local 3200ft airport. I'll hopefully be getting to 600AGL to just do laps around the pattern. I'd plan to use a 1000ft rope and my 8.1L Chevy Suburban.

What's everyone's take on auto towing a 1-26 mostly just for the fun of very quick flights? Do I need a logbook endorcement for ground launching?

My club was founded using ground launch. Ground launch is a great, economical way to get into the air. However, it is not so simple as a bucket full of rope and a truck.

Besides a glider and rope, you will need:
Ground launch endorsement
CG hook on the glider
Weak link on the glider end of the rope (or assurance that the rope is of appropriate breaking strength)
Tow release or guillotine on the tow vehicle (or some rapid and assured means of releasing the rope from the tow vehicle if the glider cannot release)..
Enough room for the rope to fall so that the inevitable cross wind will not drop your rope in the trees, on powerlines, other aircraft, people, etc. Those tow rings on the end of the rope will put quite a dent aircraft, people's heads, etc. if you drop it on them.

Ground launching off a nose hook will severely limit your launch height. However, the big problem is that it is horrifically dangerous. CG hooks will back release on their own if you overfly the launch vehicle. The nose hook will not and when you start arcing towards the ground it's going to be under so much tension that you will not be able to release at all. Counting on advertised breaking strength for rope is a crapshoot. A mechanical weak link is best. Tost (the tow ring people) figured out all this stuff a long time ago and they sell well engineered hardware for ground launch.

Unless you are launching into wind higher than the stall speed of the glider, you will not get more than half your rope length in altitude at best. Usually, you will get around 1/3 the rope length. Get at least 1500' of rope.