9/7/2021

As the Fall season comes upon us in the golf industry, it is time to slow down from the hectic months of Spring and Summer. Courses begin to shut down for the Winter months, and EOP is on everyone’s mind.  All true except for the areas of the country which perform the annual ritual of Fall Overseed. These facilities are looking to ramp up operations in preparation for the coming golf season, with visitors from all over the country and world.

The golf market in 2021 remains strong following the record-breaking numbers the industry saw throughout 2020. Though overseed saw issues through 2020, 2021 has brought its own challenges to the overseed market. Beginning in January with the Scott’s Company purchase of Columbia Seeds. This one acquisition removed several millions of pounds of Ryegrass from the professional market (golf courses/sports turf/landscapes), moving that volume to the retail side of the business. This one move had a ripple affect that is still being felt today.

Secondly, the state of Oregon where most of the Ryegrass for the overseed market is produced, saw record heat levels while harvesting the seed. This reduced the potential volume of Ryegrass for the marketplace by anywhere from ten to fifty percent. In addition, the Ryegrass price per pound almost doubled compared to the year prior, causing many golf courses to think about different strategies when preparing for the Fall overseed.

Harrell’s is prepared to meet the needs of the golf community as we embark on an overseed journey which many have never witnessed in their industry history. One of strategies golf courses will be looking into is a reduced rate of Ryegrass seed, and supplementing the lower volume of seed with either turf paints or pigments. Harrell’s has a complete lineup of turf paints and pigments, including our popular Dormant Green® Plus paint, and our PAR® SG pigment. This Fall, Harrell’s will also be introducing a new pigment called Emerald Green, for the Ryegrass overseed market. This pigment will be used as part of a program for overseed golf courses, including greens, tees, fairways, and roughs. What makes this product unique will be the rate used per acre, compared to other products in the industry. Emerald Green applied rate is twelve ounces to the acre, compared to most of the competitive products going out at a rate of sixteen ounces to the acre.

With the shortage of Ryegrass seed for the market, and the increased cost some golf courses may face not being able to overseed, Harrell’s POLYON® Controlled-Release Fertilizer can assist the golf courses in maintaining a consistent Bermuda grass base, further into the Fall Season. Harrell’s offers several different formulas of POLYON®, as well as regular, mini, and micro sized SGN products. In addition, your local Harrell’s sales representative can map out a strategy for any particular property with the POLYGRAPH® App. This program allows the customer to see exactly how much of his POLYON® fertilizer will be released by the week, giving superintendents the ability to dial in a program that is perfect for their property. Harrell’s also has the ability to provide a custom blended product with POLYON® to provide a personalized formula for your course.

As the overseed market continues to evolve with the ever-changing environment, Harrell’s is prepared both now and in the future. Meeting and exceeding customer needs in the overseed and every other golf market in the U.S.