Four people were struck by lightning at a Whitchurch-Stouffville golf course north of Toronto on Tuesday, including one man who had to be revived.

Golfers at Bethesda Grange Golf Course said they heard a horn warning them to get off the course and shortly afterwards heard a loud crack, believed to be the lightning.

Peter Epstein, who was at the course for a tournament, said he was sitting there under the canopy when someone yelled for help. He and another golfer, an ICU nurse, were the first ones to run to the scene and helped revive the man who was found face down on the ground.

“He was dead. He was dead. He was vital signs absent,” Epstein said, adding that the nurse told him the victim was without a pulse and wasn’t breathing for about 2.5 minutes.

“If nobody had performed CPR on him, if he didn’t get early defibrillation or CPR, he wouldn’t be here today. He wouldn’t be talking to us in the clubhouse today.”

LIGHTNING STRIKE – 4 people injured at a golf course at 12808 Warden Ave. All 4 being transported to hospital. — York Regional Police (@YRP) June 17, 2014

Once revived the man was taken in a pickup truck to the golf course pro-shop where he became more lucid and could recall his name but not all the details of what had happened to him.

He had many burns, an exit wound at his right ankle and burns to his hand, said Epstein, who has worked as a ski patrol person and for a medical equipment company that makes defibrillators and cardiac monitors. And he also said the victim’s “hat was just melted. It was just completely blown off his head.”

Golfers shredded hat on the 18th fairway where lightening struck at Bethesda Grange Golf Course. @CityNews pic.twitter.com/rvKGNWC1Os — Adrian Ghobrial (@CityAdrian) June 17, 2014

He said the other golfers who were hit appeared to be in the same group, about 100 metres from the clubhouse.

The revived man and the other three men, whose condition were believed to be stable, were taken to hospital. Their ages are 51, 53, 56 and 60.

Earlier on Tuesday, Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for southern Ontario, including Toronto and the GTA. Click here for information on lightning safety.

The area under the watch stretches from London and Sarnia in the south up to Peterborough in the east, with some central areas outside Toronto under a warning of intense storms and heavy rain, The Canadian Press said.

Environment Canada said dangerous thunderstorms could develop that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, damaging hail and heavy rain.

The weather agency said there is also risk of a tornado and warned people to take cover if threatening weather approaches.

The threat of severe thunderstorms exists until Tuesday evening.

With files from The Canadian Press