Really interesting discussion about VEM and I believe what people are experiencing is certainly due to a mixture of AAVEM (Automatically Adapting Virtual Equipment Model) coupled to known deviation variables with a side order of longer club dispertion and wind effect.
VEM on its own is not going to create the 'beast' result but it is an attributable factor. In the gaming world creating a variable performance S curve is the holy grail, how do you keep players interested when they reach close to the pinnacle of performance? You do it by never letting them actually reach the pinnacle, the closer they get the less forgiving you make the equipment. I would describe deviation or circle of accuracy as a means to foster a level of realism in the game, even the best frequency matched swing weighted clubs will still have a level of shot dispertion through the bag, with the highest dispertion area associated with the longest club.
VEM is different, it is a specifically designed mechanism to make the game harder or easier associated with your current skill level with a piece of current virtual equipment, and with so much of our equipment sharing common attributes (we have to carry a full set of irons) if those irons become more difficult to use then scores will temporarily decline. the smart bit is the adaption, once your current skill drops back down they become easier to score with again and your scores improve.
This is essentially inperceptable unless one was tracking scores over a period of several weeks playing static conditions without changing equipment, it just means the user is aware of having good days and bad days, or feeling they are in a slump or just can't miss! Couple your club being harder to hit, a large deviation with a long club it is going to create some of the 'what the...' shots people experience.
Fear not though, purchasing new equipment and you are resetting your data! Recently a top player said to me he had re bought his irons again, and found them easier to hit and they seemed to have a slower meter!
Fair play to WGT if they have achieved this, yes on one hand it is designed to keep us spending, playing, looking at adverts etc, but on the other it is keeping us challenged, keeping the game interesting and keeping it realistic. We would get bored very quickly if everything was predictable.