Cleveland VAS792 - Pavin the Way with Cleveland Shovels

[jfrank]

I've been working on these Cleveland VAS 792 irons for a while - removing all of the purple and going with a more subtle paint fill really updated this set.  I have attached some pictures of the completed set.  I also drafted a short article about these quirky clubs:

Pavin the Way with Cleveland Shovels

The first half of 1995 was a strange time. MJ was still in baseball mode through the first quarter. OJ was on trial. Superman (Christopher Reeve) was paralyzed. Oklahoma City was bombed. Astronauts broke space marathon records. The 49ers won their 5th Super Bowl. Yet, the 49ers weren’t the only California squad that was dialed in that year. A little California Kid brought the heat to Southampton with some of the strangest clubs you’ve ever seen.

 

Cleveland released the VAS 792 with a tag line of “Explore the Outer Limits.” They were so outlandish that most of the Cleveland Staffers wouldn’t put the irons in play. Corey Pavin on the other hand, was the face of the rollout with the endorsement of “I’ve never felt a club more solid.” The irons looked as if someone had cut the spade off a shovel and welded a teardrop-shaped clubface in place of said spade. To say the irons were unorthodox was an understatement. They were cast shovels on shafts with purple stickers and paint fill.

 

However, there was some science behind the approach. This era also saw the Dodge Neon, which was hailed in the engineering world as the fastest-designed car in history thanks to AutoCAD advancements. The Neon, like the VAS792, was hideous; yet each iteration of the Neon had selling points and beat many capable cars in SCCA races. It’s a similar story for Corey Pavin and the Cleveland VAS 792 irons.

 

The VAS 792 hosel was ahead of the face of the club, which projects the momentum of the swinging shaft closer to the center of the clubface via centrifugal force. The clubs were also cast in a shape that pushed more weight further to the extents of the club. Both changes fight twisting of the club through impact. Any miss just wants to go straight. The back of the clubheads were treated with a polymer that absorbs vibration in the cast head and were covered with a cheeky purple VAS sticker.

 

Corey Pavin took the bag of VAS 792 clubs to Shinnecock Hills, NY for the U.S. Open in June 1995. A 19-

year-old Tiger Woods was in the field that year but withdrew in the second round with an injured wrist. Corey Pavin put in a solid performance finishing four rounds at even par to beat The Shark by two strokes. Pavin sealed the deal with a clutch 4-Wood approach shot on 18 after his caddy told him the VAS 2-iron wasn’t going to cover the 209-228. The short hitter was surgical with his Cleveland VAS equipment.

 

The 155lb California Kid racked up seven wins with his Cleveland VAS irons. He was not successful in his move to PRGR, but he did go on to win two times after his only major championship at Shinnecock Hills.  Pavin won 15 times on the PGA Tour but is most noted for his stint with his VAS 792 irons where he made it to #2 in the world. Pavin did manage top-5s in all three of the other majors in the early-90s.

 

I acquired a set of the Cleveland VAS 792 irons. They are as ugly in person as they are on the internet.  The Maltby Playability Factor had them at a -197 (yes, negative). The C-dimension is closer to the heel due to the unique hosel design.  However, they do perform as game improvement irons. They are extremely hard to slice, yet very easy to draw. I had to try hard to fade them but could sling up a 30-yard draw on a longer iron if I shut the face (like a ratchet with the hosel so far forward). Distances were a good 10-yards shorter than my current game improvement irons thought the mid-section of the bag– but that’s nearly 30 years later.

 

I was surprised how easy the VAS 792 irons are to hit. Good contact produces a nice flight that is unbelievably straight. The 3-iron, which is the same loft as a modern GI 5-iron, was as easy to hit as the PW. These are real game improvement irons from the era, a true equivalent to the Dodge Neon of the times. I used to play the DCI irons, but these may have been the hot ticket to greens in regulation if I could have gotten past the looks and didn’t want to be David Duval.

 

The win by Brian Harman in Hoylake last July makes us realize how critical shot placement can be in a challenging Major Championship. Harman employed a modern Titleist utility iron (U500) in the 3,4,5 irons for the Open Championship win. This made me think back to the Cleveland VAS irons that were known for their cult-like following for those brave enough to keep them in the bag. I found a couple of forum posts about players still bagging the VAS 2- and 1-irons from the mid-1990s. The VAS 792 irons are extremely easy to hit and easy to keep under the wind.

 

Are the Cleveland VAS 792 the ugliest irons to win a Major Championship since golf shafts were crafted from Hickory? Absolutely. Were the Cleveland VAS 792 innovative in the ultra-game-improvement sector? Absolutely. Those little VAS shovels paved the way (via Pavin) for the ultra-forgiving, mega-MOI equipment we have the luxury of hitting today. A 700+ Maltby playability factor isn’t the only thing that matters, and that’s what is so neat about engineering and club design through the last 30 years. 

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yi6cigUVQk8qpUxF8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wf6HtetgPjJgP9p16

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UeHAjpC6enWJCiXK9

 

[ShortSticks]

Well written and a very interesting take on some of the ugliest clubs ever made.

 

 

[Tmintx]

I played some good golf with those monstrosities

[brutusflash]

Had a set down to the 2 iron, used the 2 iron for years afterward.  I don’t remember them looking as bad back then, lol.

Flash

[Reds]

My first set of irons. They were hand me downs from my dad. These look great!

[discover-it]

Matching putter! 🤣

[V-Blade]

I briefly had a set of the 792T version in early 2020.  
 

 

Always wanted to try a VAS set, especially after seeing all the magazine reviews when I was first getting into golf in the early 90s (still have that issue).  The 792T were kind of a rare find, especially in their nice condition.  Being a T (Tour), these were sleeker-looking with the topline, sole and hosel transition.  They may have even been out of softer stainless steel.  Probably was the crappy graphite shafts that Cleveland used (remember the diamond and square flex designations?) but I hit them like crap.  Would have been interesting to try them with DG steel but didn’t feel like doing the overhaul. 
 

BTW - there was a VAS putter and even a driver.  The driver came with the set I bought and I quickly gave it away.  😀Saw the mallet version (kind of like a hollow bottom Ram Zebra shape) recently at a PIAS.  

Edited Tuesday at 12:23 AM by V-Blade

[coops]

This was the time when I got my first 'proper' set of clubs. I'd started golf with a 2nd(or more) hand set of Sam Snead Blue ridge blades and wooden woods... so I ended up with a normal looking set of cavity back, but I was tempted to demo those VAS 792s. I was worried I might hit them really well, so avoided them.

 

They were not alone in the ugly camp though in that time period - Ping Zings were/are quite a sight, but way more shocking at that time was good old, traditional and revered MacGregor  put out something called the DoctorX...

 

 

 

[Roejye]

Those were the first set of irons that I purchased for myself. I was so new to golf equipment, and not a lot of funds, that I was trying to piecmeal a set together piece by piece with singles from the clearance bin. Luckily, the salesperson found me those with grips in excellent condition. They served me pretty well in my early golf days. I actually gave the 5-pw to a friend as a set of hand me downs.

[Roejye]

19 minutes ago, coops said:

This was the time when I got my first 'proper' set of clubs. I'd started golf with a 2nd(or more) hand set of Sam Snead Blue ridge blades and wooden woods... so I ended up with a normal looking set of cavity back, but I was tempted to demo those VAS 792s. I was worried I might hit them really well, so avoided them.

 

They were not alone in the ugly camp though in that time period - Ping Zings were/are quite a sight, but way more shocking at that time was good old, traditional and revered MacGregor  put out something called the DoctorX...

 

 

 

I don't mind those from the back, but man from address . . . That's uh striking

[jfrank]

12 hours ago, V-Blade said:

I briefly had a set of the 792T version in early 2020.  
 

 

Always wanted to try a VAS set, especially after seeing all the magazine reviews when I was first getting into golf in the early 90s (still have that issue).  The 792T were kind of a rare find, especially in their nice condition.  Being a T (Tour), these were sleeker-looking with the topline, sole and hosel transition.  They may have even been out of softer stainless steel.  Probably was the crappy graphite shafts that Cleveland used (remember the diamond and square flex designations?) but I hit them like crap.  Would have been interesting to try them with DG steel but didn’t feel like doing the overhaul. 
 

BTW - there was a VAS putter and even a driver.  The driver came with the set I bought and I quickly gave it away.  😀Saw the mallet version (kind of like a hollow bottom Ram Zebra shape) recently at a PIAS.  

Awesome history there, thank you for the contribution!  Love the 90's history. 

 

I had one of those square flex senior shafts in a Quadpro Launch iron (15deg) that I just swapped out with a Recoil shaft.  The Quadpro has the bulge face like Bryson's new long irons.  I'll give the senior square flex thing away to anyone who wants it!

[Old Tom Morris]

Ugliest iron set since Jerry Barber Shank Proof Irons.

[soberD]

I played a set of clones/knockoffs in the mid 90s. This was prior to the big crackdowm so they are pretty much identical except for the branding and no sticker. I used to get so much s*** from the other kids. My swing was garbage so I have no comment on the performance. Still have the heads in the basement. 

[CROUSE99]

I just want to thank jfrank for getting rid of the purple.

[V-Blade]

10 hours ago, jfrank said:

Awesome history there, thank you for the contribution!  Love the 90's history. 

 

I had one of those square flex senior shafts in a Quadpro Launch iron (15deg) that I just swapped out with a Recoil shaft.  The Quadpro has the bulge face like Bryson's new long irons.  I'll give the senior square flex thing away to anyone who wants it!

Absolutely my pleasure.  I found the 1993 Golf Club Test issue and an ad from a 1994 issue with Ken Venturi’s 50 best tips (I really miss him as an announcer).  The old magazines had such awesome ads all over the place.  This wasn’t one of them though.  😀

[jfrank]

13 hours ago, CROUSE99 said:

I just want to thank jfrank for getting rid of the purple.

My pleasure!

[jfrank]

12 hours ago, V-Blade said:

Absolutely my pleasure.  I found the 1993 Golf Club Test issue and an ad from a 1994 issue with Ken Venturi’s 50 best tips (I really miss him as an announcer).  The old magazines had such awesome ads all over the place.  This wasn’t one of them though.  😀

I'm astonished at how expensive the graphite clubs were back in 1993.  The lone believable 3% inflation metric.