Lee Carleton was a member of the Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis, which was the site of the 1904 Olympic golf events. He was expected to do well in the 1904 Olympics, as earlier in the year he had won the amateur golf championship of St. Louis. Although he qualified for the match play at the Olympics, he lost his first round match to Ned Sawyer by 8 & 7. His greatest achievement in golf came in 1914 when he was the runner-up in the Missouri Amateur championship. He later became President of the Glen Echo Country Club. His nephew, Murray Carleton, also played in the 1904 Olympic golf tournament.