Check the alignment line, should be grey with a small gap at each end between the arrows. Those are the current production and in my humble opinion are the best yet. I had experienced the same issue and took the same approach to solve it, glad that's over. You can also look in the conforming ball list on the USGA website for more identifying features. As good as the TM ball is, the Titleist is better for me.

I have not with the current line of balls, the older version I did though...

I've played the ProV1x for years. Never had the issue you describe. Did you purchase brand new? Where from?

Wow, Peter Hutch, that's the first I've heard of it. I've played both the black and red for a long time and had never ran into anything like what you described.

Where did you buy those sleeves? Have you shown them to the retailer? If so, what have they come up with?

Nope, been using Pro V1x since they were first released, never had any issues with the ball discolouring. As for marking, my wedges and short irons can cut them up a bit, but nothing as bad as the old balata balls. Check with your greenkeepers and see if they have put any chemicals down on your course.

Thats really weird I had not had a single durability issues with the pro v1x since they released the 2013 model. Prior models to that would scuff much quicker that the prov1 , but the 2013 was good for at least 18 holes and the 2015 ball I can personally say I got 42 holes out of one ball before taking it out of play. For me at least they have been the most durable.

Was it possibly an older version pre 2013 ?

If you didn't buy them new, they could be re-conditioned balls. I've played the X for years and never had an issue. My buddy bought some online, fairly cheap, and they had been re-conditioned. They did show early signs of wear due to the method used to re-condition them........

I had a prov1 turn a light greenish color because the course I was playing on had seeded parts of the green and used a green color in some of the bare areas on a few greens. It even turned the botton of my spikes also a light green color. So maybe there was some chemical or something else that effected which only the golf phantom knows for sure!