What kind of grass is it?

It's a sun/shade mix of rye, fescue, and bluegrass. I'm wondering if I should've used all sun mix since I think one of those types got scorched by the sun....

Also wondering if I should fertilize at the same time as well.....or maybe start with just fertilizer and see if the grass comes back?

How do I know if the grass is dead or just dormant?

Well the rye and fescue are probably dead. I'd put down seed, not much time left. Scalp the green area as well and you may find significant gaps between plants that are not visible at regular height of cut. If so, seed that area as well at half the rate.

I really would rather not scrap the grass that's still good just yet.....that's re-doing the massive job from last year all over again.....

Well if you have KBG maybe it's not necessary, it will spread and fill in with proper care. Scalping just means cutting down to about 1", it grows back in 7-10 days giving the seed a chance to establish.

scalp does not mean scrap. Scalping simply means mow it really low so you can get a better look at things and good seed/soil contact. It is a small setback for the overall betterment of your lawn.

I spoke to my garden center (not a big chain).....going with:

-raking up any dead grass

-small amount of top soil since there's all new soil from last year

-seed with full sun mix

-top with penn mulch that has fertilizer in it

-water a lot

Does this sound good?

Yea, it sounds good for the place selling you soil and mulch.

Where are you located (city/state)?

Picking the best seed for your location will most likely be your best investment. Buying soil is only necessary if you have sever level/drainage issues. "Good soil" vs "bad soil" is just the industry's way of selling stuff to us. If you want to know if your soil is bad, get a logan labs soil test for $25. Ask any company trying to sell you soil to send a sample in so you can compare, I doubt they do it.

Paramus NJ.

So you would advise to just rake up the dead grass and put down seed/mulch?

Yes, essentially. Rake up the dead grass, mow at your mower's lowest setting (bagging clippings), seed, then (optional step) put all that dead grass and mowed clippings over the seed. It's free organic material. It's the same stuff as mulch (clippings/wood chips/etc). Your soil will decompose those clipping in 3-4 weeks. The clippings help maintain moisture in your soil and then adds to the life cycle of the organism in your soil. That's organic farming without all the glitz, glamour, and hype.

I'm saying do exactly what the nursery is telling you to do, just cut them out of the picture by using the resources you already have. Then spend the extra money on a soil test so that you know exactly what (if anything) needs to be fixed and work on that.

Well I was looking for the link to his thread while he was responding lol. Yea do what j4c11 did/said.