Tom,
The thing is, in the older generation of pros I worked with, any time I said the goal is to challenge the hazard, I can't recall any saying they did that. Haven't heard if from top ams, or mid ams, or even and especially low skill ams.
I also think the Golden Age axioms are too superficial as if someone coming in over a bunker will only have the option to fire at the pin. Stats show that IF a decent player (although Lou's data also includes 5, 10, and 15 handicaps) comes from the wrong angle, he adapts by playing a conservative shot well over the hazard in front. Not to mention, picking your line, distance, and shot pattern, spin, etc. is still a strategy. (Some would call it tactics instead, but I disagree, as you are still picking a spot to land, just like on the tee shot.
And, statistically, like most sports, playing defense wins championships. A long downhill approach shot is harder than an uphill putt, but you probably still walk away with par, which is rarely a bad score. As I have heard Jack and others say, avoid the bogeys because then you need two birdies to get under par.
Very shallow greens like Riv 10 at 45 degrees to the LOP make it harder to come in from the wrong angle, so yes, in those cases, and when the green falls away from one angle, the angle can matter. How often should that happen in a design, where the green is narrower than the dispersion pattern? Yes, it can make great players make bogey, but also makes life miserable for the everyday player.
Perhaps oddly, for players with great distance control, coming into a green over a hazard might make the shot easier, since wedge dispersion patterns are usually wider than long. Thus, if someone knows their carry distance, and the exact carry distance of the line they take, they are probably less likely to miss the green.
As your Brian Silva example also shows, there is no way designers can ever imagine every mental process of every golfer, i.e., how on earth would we know how a guy who is prone to a pull with short irons would play it that way? Again, play it any way you please.