The MGA was founded on the belief that an 18 handicapper is the perfect mediocre golfer. We believe this handicap is where most amateurs plateau, no matter how much they practice. But importantly, we also believe it is an achievable handicap for most able-bodied adults. (I played a round with a one-armed guy. He shot 85.)
As such, we decided early on that we would penalize anyone who is better than an 18 handicap, but not offer any assistance to those who were worse.
We believe this:
Makes the results matter. You must work hard for a win and not rely on a generous handicap. If you're just starting out, even making the money will feel great because you'll know you earned it on merit.
Keeps people who take the game way too serious from ruining our fun.
