The suggestions about hitting towards the fence makes perfect sense (thats what i was doing today anyway).
My fear comes from the fact that i a still very new to the game so while 99% of golfers could practice chipping in my backyard with no problems i'm not 100% confident i wouldn't shank one off a fence and crack something.
I will probably just grab some of those Golf Digest or almostgolfballs for the time being then go with the real thing when i get a little better.
Since i'm only practicing fairly short chips the distance may not be much of an issue aslong as the ball is heavy enough that i sits down in the grass some(as opposed to a plastic ball which just lays high in the grass)