try going to the driving range.

I have been having the same problem when we are down in Texas for the Winter. We are a lot further outh than you, being about one hour south of Laredo. What I have found works well for me is to hit down on the ball more which, for me, causes me to get a little more of the earth into the strike and I am able to get better results doing this. It takes some practice on the range, but it did help me. The nice part about being that far south for me is that I do get better distance with my drives and iron shots. And at my age, that is just fine with me.

Marc

If you're hitting the ball properly then a tight lie is a good thing. If you need grass to prop the ball up so the sole doesn't hit the ground then you aren't hitting the ball properly.

Get yourself a very high bounce sandwedge, doesn't matter brand, just the higher the bounce and the wider the sole the better.

Get yourself a piece of plywood, just big enough for you to hit balls off of.

Practice pitching off the board, you don't need to hit hard, but you need to hit the ball first. This will teach you how to bring the clubface into the ball.

Wrong........in general hitting off hardpan or tight lies requires a club with LESS bounce, not more.  

As for best way to play off hardpan, try taking an extra club, grip down a little and take a shorter swing (3/4 swing) to promote better ball contact. You could also put the ball back in your stance more than normal to encourage ball contact first, though some might say more forward in your stance to "pick" or "sweep" the ball clean.  Go out and experiment a bit to see what works best for you  :)