Phil,
It is funny that you mentioned "angles", because after reading just the title of the thread, that was the first thing I thought of. It's funny how a certain shot can look so much better to your eye when approached from just a slightly different perspective.
I have had a different result than many others on this site in regard to their games. I think I manage my game better after becoming more educated about golf course architecture. For me, it translates into what I now look for when playing a course or a particular hole. In a competitive situation, I'm able to shut off being overly analytical about design, but in the big picture, having a better understanding of what the architect has created has been helpful from a strategic standpoint.