The US PGA Tour's first anti-doping programme has been approved by its policy board and drug testing could start as early as July next year.

Player education and outreach will begin next month and the range of penalties for positive tests includes a one-year suspension for a first violation and a lifetime ban for multiple offences.

Two months ago, the PGA Tour and other leading golf organisations outlined a comprehensive global anti-doping policy for the sport that included a list of banned substances.

"The Tour's primary objective is to have a credible programme that will aggressively deter the use of any prohibited substance," Tour commissioner Tim Finchem wrote in a memo sent to all Tour members and made available to the media.

"Player education and outreach will begin in December 2007 and extend through June 2008, with testing beginning no sooner than July 2008."

The list of banned substances includes anabolic agents, hormones, diuretics, stimulants, narcotics and beta blockers.

Although golf appears to be unaffected by performance-enhancing drugs, there have been widespread calls for the governing bodies to put testing policies in place.

World number one Tiger Woods said last year he thought the use of performance-enhancing drugs could become a problem and encouraged a proactive stance instead of a reactive one.

The R&A, which governs golf in all countries except the US and Mexico, introduced anti-doping measures for the first time at last year's world amateur team championship in Cape Town, South Africa.