[Yoda]

In what way can it be a problem to confuse power with force in the golf swing?

Air,

Your question seeks a semantic nuance that will differentiate Power and Force, both as they are and as they are used -- or misused -- in the Golf Stroke. I'll avoid that question for now, but to the extent they are different, it ain't by much. In a word, both are formidable.

Meanwhile, let me opt instead to address the psychological and physiological war at work within us as we play the game:

Hitting the ball as hard as you know how is not "killing the ball"

Trying to hit it harder than that is.