A method for using a tufting machine to produce athletic turf bearing precise graphic tuft patterns at a high throughput rate is disclosed. The utilized machine includes tenter frame and a series of tufting frames upon which tufting head components are mounted. The entire length of a piece of backing material is wrapped around the tenter frame, and the tenter frame circulates the backing past the tufting frames, and the tufting head components are shifted as may be necessary to form a desired graphic tuft pattern.