OP

Quoted from Miguel351:

rottenrobert1313 - I think you are understanding me perfectly. It doesn't even have to be the same part as the metal, under playfield scoop. It'd be its own part, most likely not even made of metal. In most industries it's called a "sacrificial part". Here's another example of where a sacrificial hole would have been useful:
My TAF's playfield is perfect....except for the chair hole. I was lucky enough to find a game that had full factory Mylar from day one. The damage to the chair hole isn't from the kickout. It's from ALMOST making the the shot. The ball travels from just about any direction, mostly over the hole, only to "start" falling into the hole when it ends up hitting the other side, damaging the wood/clearcoat/anything else in its path. I believe this is the cause of most, if not all similar hole damage we see in games, even the ones built today.
How many used games for sale these days are stated in a similar condition: "Everything's great except for the 'Yada yada' hole."? I dream of a day where a simple $40 part fixes this thorn in the side of our hobby.