>>51315368Difficulty aside, which I think you needed to vent so fair game, I'd believe it is more related to project deadlines, initial expectations and final project goals. Like, maybe at some mid point of the game they decided to scrap several plot elements. But the area were already finalized and coded in that without a proper implemented script nothing would be different so they just lock player access to these and move on. In the SM demo Kahili was implied to be the Champion by all usual pokemon metrics. The city people couldn't stop talking about her. But in the final game she isn't mentioned again until the last stretch when she is instead part of the elite 4. In USUM at least she makes an early appearance that makes sense. It goes beyond that, the Golf Area was most likely meant to be related to her, considering that her family owns the Hotel the damn thing is next to. But then nothing happened.
