Didn't have time to read alll the comments, and I'm sure these have been said, but my two suggestions are:
Get comfortable with playing accents on the left hand. Your hand not only needs to get to know the difference between a backbeat and a ghost note, but also how to go from one to the other instantaneously.. (if you keep going with ghost notes, they'll soon get extremely active, which is the good stuff)
Also, get to know your "16th note variations" as I call them.. 1 &a, 2 &a, 3 &a, 4 &a (if you're right handed make sure it's R RL, R RL, etc.. ) and 1e&, 2e&, 3e&, 4e& (RLR, RLR, RLR, RLR).. that'll get your left hand used to playing on those beats, and then all you do to make it a beat is put your right hand on the hihat and add the back beat on the snare