The answer to your question is yes, Golden’s can be great trial and hunting dogs. The problem with the breed is that the majority of Golden’s have been bred for show and are large overweight dogs with long hair. However, there are “field bred” Golden’s such as my dog which are generally smaller in size and have much shorter coat. My current golden runs field trials , not hunt tests, and is very competitive against the best labs in the country. The problem is there are way more very good bred labs to choose from as opposed to Golden’s. All retriever breeds have their pros and cons and although I currently own and hunt a golden I’m not naive to the fact that labs are the number one breed of retriever for both hunting and trials. However, I run field trials and train and compete against some of the best retrievers in the country and can assure you that a good golden can compete with the top labs in the game.