I disagree. I see you were flying it only "several times a month", so that may be where your misconception is coming from.
I noticed a slight tremor on my willy-waving-o-meter when I read this. For most people "several times a month" is a lot more than they have a chance to do. And I always did at least three landings at the end of every flight. I could land it with no problem, when I was flying it often, and still can after the first couple. But I rest my case that if you need to land it a dozen times a month to feel comfortable landing it, it is hard to land. Or as a Pitts owner I knew once said, "It was only after the first couple of hundred landings that after every takeoff I didn't say 'Oh sh*t, now I have to land it.' ".
Engine out landings were fine as well. I used to do them regularly for fun/practice and it wasn't a problem.
I've never done anything BUT engine off landings - it was how I was taught. Otherwise you can't see the runway. But these are engine out landings to a runway, which is a whole different matter than trying to land on a road or in a field, or worse. I rest my case that if the engine stops, and you don't conveniently have a runway within the (very short) gliding range, your best bet is to bail.
If you do decide to buy an S1, you need to find someone with an S2 who will teach you to land in it. Taking an S1 up without plenty of prior Pitts landing experience is likely to end very badly.