Royal and Ancient Club chief executive Peter Dawson said: "We don't think at the moment that there is much use of performance-enhancing drugs in golf.

"The R&A, while not feeling particularly under pressure, feel you need anti-doping policies and drug-testing to ensure that's the case.

"We are pioneering it this year at the World Amateur Team Championships."

The move was announced on the eve of the Open at Hoylake, but Dawson stressed there were no plans to introduce testing in the tournament itself and denied the sport had significant problems with performance-enhancing drugs.

We do support the introduction of drug-testing in golf - the issue is how do you do that effectively? R&A chief executive Peter Dawson

Despite acknowledging recent tests in France - where legislation requires controls in every sport - had produced several positive results, he argued testing at the Open would not be practical.

"The majority of the positive tests were for social drugs, which under the Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) code are just as important as performance-enhancing ones," he added.

"That said, we do support the introduction of drug-testing in golf. We would be anxious to keep the sport free of it. The issue is how do you do that effectively?"

"There are lots of administrative problems and also costs. But that aside, the difficulty in golf is that not all bodies in the game seem to be quite ready to think it is a good idea."

Testing at the World Amateur Team Championships in South Africa will fall well short of the standards already in place in other sports.

All participants have been notified that they could be tested and anyone who withdraws from the competition for fear of being caught will not be subject to a follow-up check.