A bowling alley in Puyallup, Washington, is said to be haunted by a ghost who still likes to bowl in the afterlife. Since the 1950s, Daffodil Bowl has been the place to go to enjoy some bowling, and Brad Swartz has owned the business for the past three years.
He claims that there is a spirit at the bowling alley and that the “previous owners of 22 years never mentioned that this place is known to have a ghost!” Since they had to close the business during the pandemic, Brad and his daughter Ashley have really noticed the strange activity. Although they haven’t seen an actual ghost, they have heard some very strange noises coming from their lanes. In fact, Ashley claimed that they hear the sound of a bowling ball being thrown down a lane and occasionally it happens about every 15 minutes.
The sound of a phantom bowling ball being thrown down a lane has been heard.
They mentioned the unexplained activity to their employees and they were surprised to find out that nearly all of them had their own personal experiences at the bowling alley. Some of the workers said that they also heard unexplained sounds and even witnessed bowling shoes flying off the shelves as well as cooking utensils falling to the floor.
A woman named Corey, who has worked at the bowling alley for more than 30 years, recalled some of her personal experiences, “He comes up behind me and says my name. Sometimes he turns on the pin setters in the back as a way of letting me know he’s here and to have a good day or something.”
A bowling alley mechanic named Larry Davidson recalled some of his encounters with the ghost, “I’ve seen figured hunched over these machines, I’ve seen a dark figure walking to the back of the lanes when I’m the only one here at night and the doors are locked.”
Some employees have seen bowling shoes flying off the shelves.
As for who the ghost is and why he is there, the employees believe they have the answer. They think it is a former loyal customer who passed away from a heart attack on Lane 1. Interestingly, the sound of the bowling ball being thrown down the lane occurs exactly where the man died. Additionally, the man was a former mechanic at the bowling alley and who lived in a house directly across from the parking lot.
The employees all agree that the ghost is not harmful and that he just “doesn’t want to stop bowling”. They even gave the spirit the name of “Daffodil Don”.
A video of the bowling alley can be seen here.