First of all, you do an excellent job of describing your issue. That will make this slightly easier on me, although I don't have all the answers for you. First, let us start with the release. Inconsistency happens, as you said, for many reasons if it is due to environmental issues. (heat, humidity, time of day, swelling, etc.) The key to a good release is that all parts of it have to match up. Imagine for a second the ball rolling smoothly off your hand. It should release off your thumb first and then roll off your fingers second. If your hand gets around the ball a little more than the perfect amount, the ball wants to roll off of your hand at a different angle. When this happens, it will cause it to take longer to get off your hand. I find that if you grip with your entire thumb at once, not just the pad, that is most important. Secondly, watch your hand rotation and see if it differs between the shot that comes off nicely and the one that comes off a little late. Personally, because I have a hideous thumb that is impossible to drill the perfect hole for, I like to use Storm Thundertape. I drill all my thumb holes slightly larger than necessary and wear a piece of tape on my thumb ( not thumb tape in the ball). I find that the material makes for a much smoother and more consistent release. That is one option also. Because it is hard to determine the problem without seeing it, I will stop here and hope that part helps a little.
As for angle of approach, what your are doing is completely fine. That is the older way of doing things, but it isn't any less valid today then when they came up with it. At the same time, it is possible to walk straight and square with the foul line and still hit a mark that is to the right or left of what is directly ahead of you. I personally walk straight and throw the ball to the right by changing the angle of my arm swing. I couldn't tell by what you said why you have a problem with the way you do it now. If it works for you, there is no reason to change. If you want to try walking straight, it will be hard to figure out because if you throw a lot of hook, it will be a big change in how your arm swings. When I throw spares, I walk just like you are talking. I face my mark and walk directly towards it. It makes it a lot easier to be accurate. I hope all of this helps. I am more than happy to help you further if you have more questions. That is assuming I helped you at all during this message. Good luck!
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