Jedef:
While the rules state that it isn't an illeagal stroke ,I find it pretty galling when an opponent resorts to it when there is nothing restricting a normal put. If you are so far away from the hole I would suggest that practice is needed on the aproach shot to render a 'get out of jail free 'shot uneccesary . I find it petulant and ungentlemanly conduct and would back wgt putting ( no pun intended ) a stop to it, when there is nothing obstructing a normal put .All long puts are difficult and Imo should be madatory when on the green. It's all a part of the game . I've yet to see anyone using a putter off the tee , yet no doubt, it's a legal stroke. Leave a difficult put ? , suck it up and do better next time.
I'd counter that wedging from the green is a special skill that takes practice, just like hitting an approach close or successfully lagging a long putt. And is not an automatic get out of jail free card, it's just another tool in the bag that you can use to get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible (the whole point of the game).
The art of lagging long putts is a skill that requires practice, just like wedging from the green, hitting punches, chipping, pitching, etc... To say that someone who has put the time and effort into learning that specialized skill needs to "suck it up" and not use one of the skills they've learned/practiced is silly.
If I face a long putt with several tiers and contours to cross, I'm sorry if I'm being petulant and ungentlemanly by wedging it, but as long as it gets me closer to the hole that's all that matters to me in the long run.