Functions that return handlers let you neatly set things up

handle_greeter.go

func handleGreeter() http.Handler {
	
	// TODO: do any setup stuff here
	
	//... like prepare a template:
	tpl, err := template.ParseFiles("pages/_layout.html", "pages/gopher.html")
	
	return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
		if err != nil {
			// parsing the template failed?
			http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusInternalServerError)
		}
	
		//... now use the template here!
		
	})
}