The clock is ticking.

The specimen cups are ready for unpacking.

The World Golf Foundation's anti-doping policy, which is sanctioned by the major golf tours and governing bodies, will be in nearly full force by the end of this year. The date for members of the PGA Tour and European PGA Tour to circle in red is July 1, after which they will be subject to random testing.

The LPGA began testing this year, and there has been testing at certain European PGA Tour events in the past, such as the French Open.

Under the program, the governing bodies of the four major championships -- Augusta National Golf Club, the U.S. Golf Association, the PGA of America and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club -- will recognize any positive tests by a member of a pro tour and ban that player from competing in the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, PGA Championship or British Open Championship for the duration of the suspension.

Since last year, U.S. PGA Tour members have been inundated with information on testing policies, what will be banned and how they can avoid ingesting anything even by accident that would trigger a positive test.

Medical experts have been at every tournament to answer questions from players, agents, personal trainers and nutritionists about banned substances, which include steroids, human growth hormone, beta blockers, masking agents, stimulants and recreational drugs. A handbook was prepared and a 24-hour hot line set up for players to call with questions.

"It's been a pretty exhaustive process," Ty Votaw, the PGA Tour's vice president for communications and international affairs, said Tuesday. "We are confident we've done everything we could."

Players agree that the tour has done its part. It's up to players to be ready for the lab technicians to hand them a cup.

"I think we've been educated as much as possible," Stewart Cink said. "Of course, there may always be someone who's uneducated, but I hope that's not the case."

Defending Masters champion Zach Johnson said the players have been "informed to the nth degree."

"It's very comprehensive," he said. "But it needs to be."

Earlier in the year, when the tour began its education process, some veteran players voiced opposition to the program. Others said time and the purpose of the program should mute any dissension.

"Transition is always going to be difficult," Padraig Harrington said. "In five years' time, 10 years' time, when you have a new crop of young guys coming up, they won't even think twice about it."

Brandt Snedeker said players in their 20s more than likely were tested as college athletes and are more likely to accept the procedures without balking.

"Pulling your pants down in front of a doctor or lab technician is never fun," he said. "But it's necessary in this day and age."

Johnson said he believed the prospect of drug-testing does not raise any civil liberties issues.

"I don't think it's invasive or anything like that," he said.

The main reservation some players seem to have is the prospect of taking something by accident, then getting a positive test.

"What if a guy wakes up in the middle of the night with a horrible cough and takes a cough syrup with codeine?" Cink said. "Then he gets to the course the next day and finds out he's going to be tested?"

Votaw said players must get used to asking questions first and popping something into their mouths later.

"Players have to understand that they're responsible for anything that gets in their system," he said. "We're trying to educate them so there is no inadvertent situation. There is some flexibility in the system, but not much."

Votaw said the July 1 target date doesn't necessarily mean lab technicians will be chasing down players in the locker room at the AT&T National near Washington, D.C., the first tournament after that date. He said random testing means questions about when and how many are tested need to be left unanswered.

"We're not going to discuss the testing because it has to be of a random nature," he said.