> I work on a Java code base where there is try catch every 4-5 lines.

There is a huge difference.

The Java code you are reading is caused by bad programmers who are not using exception handling correctly. Proper exception use means sometimes catching and sometimes ignoring the exception and declaring it in your `throws` clause.

In Go, testing against `nil` every twenty lines is not only common, it's the ONLY way to write robust code. You simply don't have a choice.