After his recent win, Amleto Monacelli said that back in the 80's he was a feel bowler. Nowadays besides skill, one has to have more knowledge about ball surface/core, ball reaction, and type of lane surface.. this is not his exact words, just paraphrasing.

Can being a feel player be counterproductive? I read in an old golf mag couple of years ago that it can be...

My sensei had a saying when he sense in us fear, doubt, hyper emotions, excitement, anger, ect....before a match against one or more persons for example at 80 to 100% contact/power... (old school lol no pads no mats) anyway he would say:  "Let it go, let it flow, just do, and don't feel." I thought he meant don't feel pain, but it was a deeper meaning...? still IDK lol

Having a feel for the game is still important, in my opinion.  How many times do we hesitate to move on the lane because we're afraid we'll miss pocket, and split the next frame? 

The best bowlers are not only watching their own ball reaction and carry, but they are watching every ball thrown on their pair in an effort to anticipate the move before it's too late.  It takes a leap of faith, so to speak, to move when you're still hitting pocket in hopes that you'll be set for several frames to come. 

The "feel" can be fearlessly acting on a hunch, and trusting that you'll deliver the proper shot and get the proper read on the lane, and thus confirming your move (or otherwise). 

Yes, a basic understanding of your equipment and how it reacts to surface changes is critical.  Today's equipment is sensitive to the oil (skid) and the dry (hook),  but it still comes down to the bowler having some kind of feel for what's happening out on the lanes in order to excel in my opinion.

In regards to the older game, 'feel' refernces adjustments made with the hand - positions and grip pressure - unlike today's game which is more of choosing the proper ball and areas of the lane to play at the right times

I'm re reading the book over as we speak... Im on the "motivation aide" chapter ... I'm using this book for bowling and weight loss too. lol I'm so unmotivated when it comes to dieting and losing weight...

Haha, I also currently have the digital version of Head Games open at the moment.  I'm still predominantly a feel bowler, but it's just like he says, I move around until I "feel" like I'm using the right ball on the right part of the lane. 

Being a "feel" and/or "instinct" bowler can, in fact, be counterproductive in the modern-day era of THS. And that's the reason why I never was able to increase my average on THS, even though lane conditions and equipment were greatly boosting the averages of many of my peers.

For years (prior to THS), I combined "mental line" targeting with an instinctive feel for the game to be as good as any league and tournament player in my area. However, even though I was a solid 195-average bowler prior to the Great Wall of China, I never was able to average 200 or better no matter how easy the lanes became for many bowlers.

The reason was that my "feel" did me in on THS. On the former grindout conditions, if I felt that my delivery was going to miss to the right, I was often able to add enough to the ball roll to bring the ball back to the pocket, and likewise, if I felt that I was going to miss left, I took a little off the roll at the release point.

On THS, however, if I felt I was going to miss right and added a little bit to the roll, it went a little more into the dry area and I often wound up with a high hit, and if I thought I was about to miss left, if I took a little off the ball, I would often miss the pocket to the right (or if I hit the pocket, it was a weak hit that left such things as the 5-7 or 2-4-5). So in my case, at least, "feel" didn't provide me any advantage on THS.