I stopped trying to force the ball up to the pocket...

[aussiedave]

...from out wide and I save myself a whole lot of effort on that first ball.
I used to stand on the second to the left dot, 2nd row and two foot lengths further up and shoot over the 12 board (from right) and bring the ball back into the pocket.
I find this is a lot of work and there is too much room for too many errors.
I have changed my target to the 15 board or 16 or even 17 if there is a bit extra oil out there and have found a much easier line that stays on the longer part of the THS oil pattern. I relax and let the ball do the work and it is amazing just how easy bowling can be. I am heading toward 56 and have a few niggles so easier is betterer. I'm not saying I am bowling the house down, but my average has gone up 10 pins just like that.
Now I have to be more careful with the spares and it will go up even more.
I still shake my head when I see people trying to throw that big hook at spares - why waste all that extra effort when you can just noodle a cheap plastic or house ball down at those 1 - 3 pins? As the oil starts to carry down those big shots at simple spares can become very risky when a straighter delivery will not react as much and give more reliability.
Just my $0.02c worth...
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[ecub]

For me, I like to simplify things. With that said, although I have 5 bowling balls in my arsenal, I ONLY bring 2. An out & in ball and down & ball. I use the same 2 all year around, even summer. Therefore, I use the same ball for 10 pin spares. I usually can throw it will some speed to cut out any chance of hooking, but most of the time, I usually play it with a hook. I'm a tweener, but learned to move around for a straighter shot or a slight hooking shot. I would be a higher average, if only I don't have those occasional misses left/right.

[aussiedave]

For me, I like to simplify things. With that said, although I have 5 bowling balls in my arsenal, I ONLY bring 2. An out & in ball and down & ball. I use the same 2 all year around, even summer. Therefore, I use the same ball for 10 pin spares. I usually can throw it will some speed to cut out any chance of hooking, but most of the time, I usually play it with a hook. I'm a tweener, but learned to move around for a straighter shot or a slight hooking shot. I would be a higher average, if only I don't have those occasional misses left/right.

I do also like the idea of using the same ball for spares as this gives the same feel and you know the ball better. This works fine if the conditions are easy but if the lanes are challenging or the conditions change, the old straight at the pin attack can be a lot more confidence inspiring.
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[mxjosh]

I cant say my strike shot takes anymore effort than my spare shot. Its all very easy on the arm. Perhaps u are referring to crankers?

[aussiedave]

I cant say my strike shot takes anymore effort than my spare shot. Its all very easy on the arm. Perhaps u are referring to crankers?

Those bowlers who use an aggressive ball or lift the ball aggressively usually suffer from the things described in the op, unless they are blessed with plenty of speed. Those who can get over that 16 mph rate are fortunate as this tends to "straighten" out that vicious hook a bit and they can get to the pocket without excessive rollout. The ball will tend to skid more as it tries to get traction and will usually go a little longer the harder you throw it.
I can only get about 13 - 14 mph max unless I go to a lighter ball and when I try to get that extra speed I find timing issues then become a problem.
If anyone has any ideas to offer to overcome the problem I would be interested to know.
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[Tampabaybob]

Those bowlers who use an aggressive ball or lift the ball aggressively usually suffer from the things described in the op, unless they are blessed with plenty of speed. Those who can get over that 16 mph rate are fortunate as this tends to "straighten" out that vicious hook a bit and they can get to the pocket without excessive rollout. The ball will tend to skid more as it tries to get traction and will usually go a little longer the harder you throw it.
I can only get about 13 - 14 mph max unless I go to a lighter ball and when I try to get that extra speed I find timing issues then become a problem.
If anyone has any ideas to offer to overcome the problem I would be interested to know.
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If you can either throw a plastic ball for spares or "KILL" the roll on your (strike) ball that will greatly enhance your chances of making spares if you can't throw that hard. The other thing I teach is to always shoot your spares as close to the 15 to 25th board, as those usually will have the highest concentration of oil on them. That will get your ball to slide (skid) further and not break as much.

Killing the ball means you'd break your wrist (backwards) so the ball will not hook. Also other things you can try is to put your thumb in the ball first and leave your fingers just slightly in the finger holes, or try pulling your index finger and pinky in close to your other fingers. Sometimes that will also cut down on hooking the ball. It really depends on many factors such as how much you normally turn the ball (what your muscle memory is) and also how dry the backends are on the lanes you're shooting on. Try those things and let me know if they helped.