No Jeff. All high end balls use similar urethane elastomer covers, but subject to company proprietary blends and thicknesses. They all will cut or tear, just not like they did in the days of balata covers. You will notice it even more if you thin a bunker shot as wedges with their higher loft and sharp groves will mark a ball. If your buddy was hitting fairway wedge shots with relatively new clubs and he has high clubhead speed, yes, he could produce enough friction to cut the edges of some ball dimples. With ProV1x having larger, deeper dimples, this would happen easier on those than say the AVX which has the shallowest dimples. If you want to play a surlyn covered ball, they are much more durable but do not have the high spin capability preferred for holding shots onto greens. Rest assured, Titleist ball quality is not impacted by availability. Go tour the Ball Pant #3 and you will see that all continue to be produced with great measures for quality and consistency. The ball you cut is exactly the same as the ball Justin Thomas is hitting right now.

The actual design is several years old and was only available to tour events. Earlier versions of the commercial Pro-V’s weren’t as good as the current models. Should Titleist upgrade the version, they would likely use a newer urethane material consistent with the current Pro-V1x. Durability on tour is not the same issue as us trying to get multiple rounds from one ball.

I have a problem with them cutting and tearing when they accidentally hit a cart path or rocky area.

Even when testing the new 348 Proto (Prov1x) they are prone to scuff more than the 388 Proto (Prov1).

I have not noticed abnormal scuffing, cutting, tearing with the -Prov1x when I keep the ball on the fairways and greens.

I just played my first round with the ProV1x left dash. After 18 holes with a couple of nicely placed balls in the desert I only have some minor scuffing and a few little nicks on the ball. I think it held up rather well.

I've been playing the left dash for over a year now. I don't notice a significant difference in the cover durability. Generally it's when I bounce one off a tree or a cart path (or both in the same shot) that I will notice scuffs and nicks.

That said, I wonder if part of it is the location you're playing in. Myrtle has pretty sandy soil, if the clubs' grooves or face is getting sanded up it could possibly create more friction and ultimately, the wear you're seeing.

I've played a few rounds now with the left dash and it's been holding up just as good as the normal ProV's.

I haven't seen any issues with the cover in a year of playing this ball.