It's important to buy a pup from a serious hobby breeder, not from a chance neighborhood breeder, or, worse, from a puppy mill.
You can find out if it's a registered kennel, and also if the owners belong to a breed association and compete their dogs in some discipline or other (whether conformation or performance.) The Golden Retriever News and their associated clubs keep close tabs on who's reputable and who's not, and brytlea (who does Goldens) will probably know more sources for you.
Unfortunately, Goldens are very popular, and the riff raff have moved in and are selling puppies that are poorly bred and have tons of genetic problems -- bad hips, bad eyes, seizures, heart problems, tumors, you name it. All breeds have some genetic issues, but the most popular breeds have the most and the worst.
Just because the puppies are at a beautiful farm doesn't mean much. They might be brought there to sell. You can ask to meet the mother, and the father if he's available, but that's not a foolproof method.
Oh, I do know all those rules and probably wouldn't EVER buy a puppy. But they are so adorable and I wouldn't trust my heart to say "no"! That is why I thought up the pumpkin "escape clause".
Max is a rescue dog from Golden Retriever of Wisconsin, but he was near adulthood when I adopted him; and I could see what I was getting. Although no one prepared me for a dog that doesn't bark (hardly ever) and that possesses a 12 hour bladder -- both real assets at my office. (He's a workin' dog. He schmoozes with all the clients and vendors.)